An Act To Clarify the Maine Food Sovereignty Act
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0574
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: PLUECKER, FAULKINGHAM, O'NEIL, OSHER, MAXMIN
Amends: 7 MRSA §282, 7 MRSA §284, 30-A MRSA §7051, 30-A MRSA §7501

Legislative Document
No. 574
H.P. 419
House of Representatives, February 24, 2021
An Act To Clarify the Maine Food Sovereignty Act
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 22, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed 
pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PLUECKER of Warren.
Cosponsored by Representatives: FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, McCREA of Fort 
Fairfield, O'NEIL of Saco, OSHER of Orono, Senator: MAXMIN of Lincoln.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §282, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 314, §1, is amended to 
read:
1.  Direct producer-to-consumer transaction.  "Direct producer-to-consumer 
transaction" means a face-to-face transaction involving an exchange of food or food 
products at the site of production of those food or food products directly between a producer 
and a consumer in a manner mutually agreed upon by the producer and the consumer of 
the food or food products.
Sec. 2.  7 MRSA §284, 2nd ¶ is enacted to read:
Pursuant to Title 30-A, section 7501, subsection 10 and notwithstanding any provision 
of state law regulating food to the contrary, except as contained in section 285, a county 
may adopt ordinances regarding direct producer-to-consumer transactions and the State 
shall recognize such an ordinance by not enforcing those state laws with respect to those 
direct producer-to-consumer transactions that are governed by the ordinance.
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §7051, sub-§11, as amended by PL 2019, c. 138, §1, is further 
amended to read:
11.  Ordinances.  Chapter 141, but only with respect to animal control ordinances, 
subject to Title 7, section 3950, direct producer-to-consumer transactions pursuant to Title 
7, section 284, the sale and use of consumer fireworks within the plantation, subject to Title 
8, section 223‑A, and the accumulation of garbage, refuse, rubbish or trash or unwanted or 
discarded material of any kind or source on private property.
Sec. 4.  30-A MRSA §7501, sub-§8, as amended by PL 1999, c. 106, §2, is further 
amended to read:
8.  Enhanced 9-1-1 service.  Assigning and maintaining physical addresses 
specifically for the purpose of statewide enhanced 9-1-1 service.  The county 
commissioners may enact an ordinance to establish the addressing standards and, pursuant 
to that ordinance, may assign road names to existing and proposed roads and property 
numbers to existing and proposed year-round and seasonal dwellings or structures and may 
install signs designating road names; and
Sec. 5.  30-A MRSA §7501, sub-§9, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 106, §3, is amended 
to read:
9.  Animal control.  Animal control services. The county commissioners may enact an 
ordinance for the purpose of animal control.  The county commissioners shall give 14 days 
notice of the meeting at which the ordinance is to be proposed in the manner provided for 
town meetings.; and
Sec. 6.  30-A MRSA §7501, sub-§10 is enacted to read:
10.  Producer-to-consumer transactions.  Regulation of direct producer-to-consumer 
transactions.  The county commissioners may enact ordinances regarding direct producer-
to-consumer transactions pursuant to the Maine Food Sovereignty Act.
SUMMARY
This bill clarifies the Maine Food Sovereignty Act.  The bill amends the definition of 
"direct producer-to-consumer transaction" to mean any exchange of food or food products 
directly between a producer and a consumer in a manner mutually agreed upon by the 
producer and consumer of the food or food products rather than face-to-face transactions 
at the site of production.  The bill also provides that counties have the same authority as 
municipalities to adopt direct producer-to-consumer ordinances under the Maine Food 
Sovereignty Act.