Fauquier County, Virginia persecuting small farms in violation of state law.
Fauquier County is in in violation of the Virginia Right to Farm Act, but they don't care as they think they have immunity and when they get sued it is the taxpayer who pays, not the people who actually broke the law.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1e7Mwjf-QPI]
When Martha Boneta hosted a birthday party for a friend’s 10-year-old daughter on her Virginia farm, she didn’t expect to have the county come knocking on her door.
But come knocking it did — threatening her with nearly $5,000 in fines.
Fauquier County officials say Boneta, owner of the 70-acre Liberty Farms in Paris, Va., didn’t have the proper permit to host the party, nor to sell produce on her own land. Zoning Administrator Kimberley Johnson sent her a cease-and-desist letter in April after the party, warning her with the financial consequences if she didn’t stop her activities within 30 days.
Boneta told Fox News she wasn’t doing anything wrong — that selling produce is just about as old as farming itself, and that curiously she seems to be the only one being targeted — possibly because of a neighbor’s complaint.
“It’s rather odd that I’m the only farmer in the county having these issues,” she told Fox. “It’s customary to do these things. It’s done on farms throughout Virginia to help farming and agriculture.”
The Institute for Justice has taken the case.
UPDATE - Holland, Michigan puts hot dog stands out of business by charging a fee every day for a permit that costs more than what a hot dog cart can make - LINK - LINK - The boy who is being targeted by the city can be reached HERE. UPDATE - The boy and his disabled parents are now homeless - LINK.