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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6241
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 5387
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY IN
CONNECTICUT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) For purposes of this 1
section: 2
(1) "Agricultural production" means commercial aquaculture, 3
algaculture, apiculture, animal husbandry, poultry husbandry, the 4
production, for a commercial purpose, of timber, field crops, tobacco, 5
fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees, 6
flowers or sod, the growth of timber for a noncommercial purpose if the 7
land on which the timber is grown is contiguous to or part of a parcel of 8
land under common ownership that is otherwise devoted exclusively to 9
agricultural use and any combination of such husbandry, production or 10
growth, including the processing, drying, storage and marketing of 11
agricultural products, when such activities are conducted in conjunction 12
with such husbandry, production or growth; 13
(2) "Agritourism" means any agriculturally related educational, 14
entertainment, historical, cultural or recreational activity, including 15
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you-pick operations or farm markets that are conducted on a farm that 16
allows or invites members of the general public to observe, participate 17
in or enjoy such activity; 18
(3) "Agritourism provider" means any person who owns, operates, 19
provides or sponsors an agritourism activity or an employee of such a 20
person who engages in or provides agritourism activities, whether or 21
not for a fee; 22
(4) "Farm" means land that is composed of tracts, lots or parcels 23
totaling not less than ten acres that are devoted to agricultural 24
production, or totaling less than ten acres that are devoted to 25
agricultural production if the land produces an average yearly gross 26
income of not less than twenty-five hundred dollars from such 27
agricultural production; 28
(5) "Participant" means any individual, other than an agritourism 29
provider, who observes or participates in an agritourism activity; and 30
(6) "Risk inherent in an agritourism activity" means any danger or 31
condition that is an integral part of an agritourism activity, including 32
each of the following: 33
(A) The surface and subsurface conditions of land; 34
(B) The behavior or actions of wild animals not kept by or under the 35
control of an agritourism provider; 36
(C) The behavior or actions of domestic animals, other than damage 37
by dogs, as described in section 22-357 of the general statutes; 38
(D) The ordinary dangers associated with structures or equipment 39
ordinarily used in farming or ranching operations; 40
(E) The possibility of contracting illness resulting from physical 41
contact with animals, animal feed, animal waste or surfaces 42
contaminated by animal waste; or 43
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(F) The possibility that a participant may act in a negligent manner, 44
including by failing to follow instructions given by the agritourism 45
provider or by failing to exercise reasonable caution while engaging in 46
the agritourism activity that may contribute to injury to such participant 47
or another participant. 48
(b) In any civil action, an agritourism provider shall be immune from 49
liability for any harm a participant sustains during an agritourism 50
activity if the participant is harmed as a result of a risk inherent in an 51
agritourism activity. Nothing in this section shall be construed to 52
require an agritourism provider to eliminate risks inherent in 53
agritourism activities. 54
(c) An agritourism provider shall not be immune from civil liability 55
for harm sustained by a participant if any of the following applies: 56
(1) The agritourism provider acts negligently or with a wilful or 57
wanton disregard for the safety of the participant; 58
(2) The agritourism provider purposefully causes harm to the 59
participant; 60
(3) The agritourism provider's actions or inactions constitute criminal 61
conduct and cause harm to the participant; 62
(4) The agritourism provider fails to post and maintain signs as 63
required by subdivision (5) of this subsection; or 64
(5) The agritourism provider has actual knowledge or should have 65
had actual knowledge of an existing dangerous condition on the land or 66
regarding facilities or equipment on the land that is not an inherent risk 67
and does not make the dangerous condition known to the participant 68
through the posting and maintaining of warning signs, and the 69
dangerous condition proximately causes injury, damage or death to the 70
participant. 71
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2025 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To implement measures designed to assist farmers financially and
enable the state's agricultural industry to sustain.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. FOSTER, 57th Dist.
H.B. 6241