Cattle are illegal: farms continue to be attacked with bans

Urban planning regulations prohibit built-in barnyards, and employers prohibit keeping animals in their homes.

The traditional village way of life with farm animals on a plot of land, the more it becomes marginal, including from a legal point of view. Thus, in a number of regions, owners of private sector houses were reminded of building codes that do not allow livestock yards in residential buildings (this is still the standard in the Russian North). And large agricultural holdings require their employees to give up keeping farm animals.

In a number of districts of the Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Vologda regions, owners of individual housing construction (individual housing) houses, when applying for a “dacha amnesty,” are reminded of the norms of distances between buildings on the plots. In particular, the outbuilding for animals must be located at least 3 m from the wall of a residential building or at least 4 m from the wall of the extension. This rule outlaws livestock yards in the same complex with residential buildings – this type of development, convenient for use in winter, is still common in the Russian North, including the above-mentioned areas.

Another question is that in the majority of village houses that have survived to this day, livestock are no longer kept in such “yards”: the permanent resident population in the private sector has become smaller than before, and the costs of maintaining farm animals have increased.

“In general, if we are talking about keeping farm animals for oneself, without selling agricultural products, there are unlikely to be any consequences for those who keep livestock in a built-in “yard,” notes lawyer specializing in individual housing construction, Irina Polkovnikova. – Now, if you formalize the legal sale of meat and dairy products produced on a personal subsidiary plot (LPH), or even more so, open a peasant farm (PEH), then the place where animals of this kind are kept will not pass a veterinary inspection.

A much more stringent restriction on keeping farm animals is associated with epizootic quarantines and safety rules. Thus, employees of one of the large Russian agricultural holdings in the field of livestock farming told MK that the company has a strict ban on employees keeping their own farm animals. Those caught doing this are subject to immediate dismissal, and the official version of this rule is the danger of African Swine Fever (ASF).

“Such restrictions do not fully comply with the Labor Code, but there is a convenient way to circumvent the law and the method is completely legal,” explained lawyer Alexey Golubev. – A mandatory rule of epizootic safety is being introduced, which includes the exclusion of keeping farm animals at home. But for violating this rule, you can fire an employee.

Since keeping livestock on private farms is gradually becoming less popular even among those who live in private houses, such restrictions are being passed without mass protests from rural residents. But won’t it turn out at some point that the traditional rural way of life is, in principle, no longer available to those who would like to engage in it?