Bill > A507

This bill establishes a licensing program within the Department of Agriculture for "Cervidae livestock operations," which are defined as normal agricultural activities involving the production, breeding, or marketing of cervids, a group of animals including deer, elk, and caribou. The program aims to regulate these operations by requiring licenses that ensure premises, including fences at least eight feet high, are adequate for the health and welfare of the animals and comply with state and federal standards, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program. Existing operations licensed by the Department of Environmental Protection will receive provisional licenses and must undergo inspection and full licensing within a year. The bill also outlines requirements for tracking and documenting the movement of cervids and cervid products, and clarifies that while the Department of Agriculture will regulate these farmed cervids as agricultural livestock, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Game Council will retain authority over wild cervids and will not have jurisdiction over licensed cervid operations.