Ag Comm Supports Animals at Farmer's Market

Members of the Agricultural Commission have voted unanimously to support allowing animals on the Common as part of the town’s farmer’s markets.

Animals play an integral role in these markets, which are held Thursdays from June to October, and provide educational opportunities for visitors, the commission members said.

Their vote does not make any official changes, but does offer support to the effort to allow the animals at the location.

They stipulated that the animals must weigh less than 300 pounds. These animals must be kept in pens and must be non-aggressive, they said.

The discussion and subsequent vote at the Tuesday night meeting resulted from an . Questions were raised about alpacas from Angel Hair Alpacas in Grafton being displayed at the farmer’s market in previous summers.

Selectman John Carlson, who is also the town’s inspector of animals, said he had received complaints about the alpacas on the Common. He said he had no problem with the alpacas, which had a tarp-like substance beneath them to keep waste from permeating the ground.

But he questioned what precedent might be set. A sign prohibiting all animals from the Common is placed on the fence that rings that Common. Animals are also prohibited by a bylaw enacted in 1974.

The farmer’s markets will begin their fourth season this year. They are run by volunteers under the auspices of the .

Michael Urban, who helps to organize the markets, told selectmen last week that he hoped to have an article on the May Town Meeting warrant that would allow animals at the farmer’s markets.

Displaying the animals there adds a valuable attraction during a season when neighboring communities also host farmer’s markets, Urban has said. They also reflect the town’s agricultural history and tradition, he has said.

Members of the Agricultural Commission agreed. Committee member John Wilson noted that the posts around the Common were once used to tie up horses while their riders visited the Common and surrounding area.

The commission decided not to consider whether domestic animals such as dogs should be allowed on the Common. The commission, they said, focuses only on agricultural concerns.

Allowing domestic animals on the Common is a separate issue, commission members said.