Directs the department of agriculture and markets to increase the number of regional farmers' markets for the direct marketing of foods and produce produced in the state.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8503
SPONSOR: Meeks TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
expansion of regional farmers' markets
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To encourage, by statute, the Department of Agriculture and Markets to
help facilitate the establishment and expansion of regional farmers'
markets,
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends Agriculture and Markets Law section 284 to encourage
the Department to promote the development and facilitate the establish-
ment and expansion of regional farmers' markets to promote the direct
marketing of healthy locally produced farm and food products on a whole-
sale or bulk sales basis to large volume purchasers of such farm and
food products. Such regional farmers' markets should be, whenever possi-
ble, located in areas that have poor consumer access to high quality and
reasonably priced food and farm products (i.e. food deserts).
JUSTIFICATION:
The purpose of this bill is to help promote, healthier lifestyles by
providing some assistance to help establish or expand existing regional
farmers' markets in those areas of the state that have poor consumer
access to high quality and reasonably priced fresh food and farm
products. This is especially the case for those areas that are in "food
deserts". This bill should also help New York State's farmers in that it
will create a new market for their agricultural products. The targeted
farmers' markets to be created would be regional markets that would
facilitate the marketing and sale of such foods, on a large scale, at
the wholesale and bulk level. In addition, the establishment of such
regional farmers' markets will increase the access of such fresh foods
to local supermarkets and restaurant that sell or prepare food in such
"food deserts".
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: S.2199 (Passed Senate)
2019-20: S.251 (Passed Senate)
2023-24 S.1365 (Passed Senate)
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8503
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MEEKS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
expansion of regional farmers' markets
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 284 of the agriculture and markets law is amended
2 by adding a new subdivision 10 to read as follows:
3 10. Development and facilitation of the establishment of regional
4 farmers' markets to promote the direct marketing of farm and food
5 products on a wholesale or bulk sales basis to large volume purchasers
6 of farm and food products. Such regional farmers' markets should be,
7 whenever possible, located in areas that have poor consumer access to
8 high quality and reasonably priced food and farm products or food
9 deserts; or which would sell to or cater to the needs of retailers or
10 bulk purchasers of food and farm products that are located in areas that
11 have poor consumer access to high quality and reasonably priced food and
12 farm products or food deserts. The department is authorized to work in
13 cooperation with the New York state urban development corporation and
14 the empire state development corporation for the purposes of this subdi-
15 vision, section sixteen-m of the New York state urban development corpo-
16 ration act and article five-D of the economic development law.
17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09405-01-5
