A Little Britain Township zoning dispute related to composting concerns could impact the state's mushroom farming industry, worth an estimated nearly $600 million in annual sales. The Lancaster County township is seeking to designate Rogelio Vivero's mushroom farming operation at 101 Kirks Mill Road as commercial composting, a change that would bring increased regulation and cost.
At issue is whether or not composting operations used to make mushroom substrate — a growth medium made from materials such as straw, hay, corn cobs and manure — are protected under the state's Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment law. "We think this is a case the attorney general should act on in order to protect mushroom farming," said Vivero's attorney Mark Thompson.
Although Lancaster County ranks a distant fifth in mushroom cultivation, neighboring Chester County is the center of the state's industry, generating more than three-fourths of Pennsylvania's annual mushroom sales. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, those Chester County sales were worth $455 million.
The Vivero case is currently under review with the attorney general's office. Vivero has also appealed the township's zoning hearing board's decision to deny his appeal of a 2023 notice alleging his operation violates the township's zoning ordinance to the Lancaster Court of Common Pleas.
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