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Key Legislative Initiatives

The 2025 Legislative General Session yielded significant outcomes for UDAF, particularly concerning passed legislation.

Budget Information:

  • Support for Local Food Security and Production: New and expanded appropriations were secured to strengthen Utah’s local food supply chain. This funding targets initiatives that include supporting local food producers, expanding processing capabilities for Utah-grown products, and improving access to healthy, locally sourced foods for communities across the state.
  • General Operations and Staffing: UDAF received stable funding for its core operations, ensuring the continued provision of essential services related to food safety, animal health, plant industry, and land conservation. Specific allocations were made to address critical staffing needs in key regulatory and program areas.

Passed House Bills:

  • HB 54: Hemp Amendments (Dailey-Provost): Requires video surveillance of retail premises used for the sale of cannabinoid products that contain THC (to verify the 21-year-old requirement); clarifies background check requirements; adds products with illegal THC analogs that the Department has identified in rule to the definition of “non-compliant material”; requires a license as a “cannabinoid processor” rather than “industrial hemp producer” to transport transportable industrial hemp concentrate; defines and allows the Department to regulate “newly identified cannabinoids.”
  • HB 94: Exemptions from Dangerous Weapons Provisions (Roberts): This legislation exempts farm custom slaughter licensees from the requirement to notify residents within 600 feet when using a firearm.
  • HB 194: S01 Beekeeping and Veterinary Amendments (DeFay): This bill establishes a Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship between a Department veterinarian and a patient, allowing the veterinarian to issue prescriptions following an inspection by a Department or county bee inspector.
  • HB 237: S01 Rollback Tax Amendments (Snider): This bill requires 100% of county rollback tax funds to be used for land preservation and directs that unused funds after 10 years be allocated to the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund.
  • HB 243: Agricultural Water Optimization Amendments (Shallenberger): This bill allows for 75% state funding for measurement, telemetry, and reporting projects and enables the Committee to award funds for research projects.
  • HB 251: Pollinator Program Amendments (Matthews): This legislation makes the Department’s pollinator pilot program permanent and allows grants to cover up to 75% of the cost of pollinator friendly native plants.
  • HB 253: S01 Agriculture and Food Amendments (Albrecht): This bill updates fertilizer definitions to include bio stimulants, allows for combination of qualifiers for Vet Loan Repayment, updates predator control fee timelines, and allows for 10-year brands. It also clarifies the Elk Act, repeals the ACES program, and makes the Agriculture Conservation Easement Account an expendable special revenue fund.
  • HB 342: Animal Composting Amendments (Kohler): This bill exempts a farm or ranch from the requirement to obtain a permit from DEQ as a waste facility if they are composting or reusing waste received from a processor they are using.
  • HB 343: Cannabis Production Amendments (Cutler): This bill requires cannabis producers to include in their operation plan methods to reduce odor and requires the Department to make recommendations to reduce odor.
  • HB 346: Department of Agriculture and Food Amendments (Welton): This bill removes the audit requirement for marketing control boards and allows boards to do a financial review.
  • HB 414: S01 Raw Milk Amendments (Acton): Defines “foodborne illness outbreak”; requires the Department to make rules regarding testing at third-party laboratories; requires specific pathogen testing regularly and prior to the removal of a cease-and-desist order; and requires whole genome sequencing testing before the Department can publicize a facility linked to a foodborne illness outbreak.
  • HB 510: Agricultural Amendments (Dailey-Provost): This bill requires the Department to study barriers and gaps related to local food availability with input from stakeholders and make recommendations to the NRAE interim committee.

Passed Senate Bills: 

  • SB 28: Livestock Brand Board Amendments (Sandall): This bill extends the Brand Board sunset to 2034.
  • SB 64: S04 Medical Cannabis Amendments (Vickers): This bill removes the requirement to list the facility on agent cards, allows the licensing board to consider cultivator renewals in December, and pharmacies and processors all year. It also updates antitrust/anti-competitive language, allows patients to use reusable bags, and allows the Department to issue letters of concern.
  • SB 276: S01 Utah Horse Racing Commission Amendments (McKell): This bill requires that a party that loses in a Horse Racing Commission or court appeal is responsible for paying attorney fees.

For additional information see le.utah.gov