PORTLAND, Maine — The lawmaker who introduced a bill designed to restrict wild foraging for food in Maine says he will call for the bill to not pass.
Republican Sen. Thomas Saviello made a proposal to prohibit foraging food without getting permission from a property owner. The proposal’s up for a potential committee vote on Tuesday.
Saviello says he’ll call for the Committee On Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to vote against passage of the bill. He says Maine state law already covers the subject of getting permission before using someone else’s land.
Saviello initially said he was concerned about wild pickers gathering large amounts of food for commercial operations without permission. But the bill was unpopular with hunters, outdoors enthusiasts and foragers, who said Maine’s foraging traditions are best left intact.