South Carolina counties would find it harder to protect neighborhoods from foul-smelling chicken farms under a bill gaining steam this year in the Senate.

The bill limiting county control of poultry farms is expected to be debated today — and some lobbyists predict it will pass after more than a decade of rancorous discussion.

If adopted by both the Senate and the House, the bill would nullify about a dozen county ordinances restricting turkey and chicken farms, according to the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, which opposes the bill.

The state’s $800 million poultry industry has been pushing the bill since at least 1995, arguing that local ordinances unfairly restrict farmers from earning a living. Agribusinesses want only the state to regulate poultry farms through the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

But in the past, the bill has bogged down because it included provisions to limit strict county regulation of polluting, factory-style hog farms — a lightning rod for debate. This year’s proposal does not stop counties from regulating hog farms more strictly than DHEC.

Reggie Hall, a spokesman for the S.C. Farm Bureau, said compromises are being worked out that will help the bill’s chances. One compromise would strengthen the state’s ability to keep poultry farms away from people’s houses, in exchange for taking away county control.

“We are pretty confident that with all the parties brought into the compromise, it stands a real good chance this year,” Hall said.

Hall noted the bill doesn’t prevent counties from establishing zoning that prohibits farms in certain areas. Critics say the bill is written to effectively prevent county zoning that is more restrictive than DHEC’s rules.

Opponents of banning county poultry farm rules say chicken and turkey farms can be just as dangerous to the environment as hog farms. Not only have they polluted waterways with manure, but strong odors often spark sharp disputes with neighbors.

South Carolina has more than 800 chicken and turkey farms. Poultry is South Carolina’s top agricultural product, surpassing tobacco, statistics show. In the number of broiler chickens raised, South Carolina ranks 12th nationally at more than 200 million birds, according to federal agriculture statistics.

Many of South Carolina’s chicken farmers work for agribusinesses. Bo Shetterly, of the S.C. Association of Counties, said agribusinesses are the real beneficiaries of the poultry bill.

“This is not a little man’s bill; it’s a big man’s bill,” Shetterly said.

Despite the bill’s improved chances this year, Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, said it gives the poultry industry too much leeway.

“This is just a bad idea whose time has not come,” Leventis said. “We can help and support the poultry industry in meaningful ways without doing this.”

Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537.