BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     AB 732


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          Date of Hearing:  April 15, 2015


                          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE


                                Henry T. Perea, Chair


          AB 732  
          Cooper - As Amended April 8, 2015


          SUBJECT:  Cattle inspection: exemption.


          SUMMARY:   Provides an exemption, under specified conditions,  
          from the statutory cattle inspection requirements of the  
          California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).   
          Specifically, this bill:


          1)Exempts mandatory cattle inspection if all the following  
            conditions are met:


             a)   The individual or entity with controlling interest in  
               cattle remains unchanged;


             b)   The cattle are not being moved out of state or out of a  
               modified point-of-origin inspection area; and,


             c)   The cattle are associated with either the registered  
               brand or the dairy exemption number.


          2)All existing and new owners shall certify, under penalty of  








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            perjury to CDFA at the time of ownership transfer, their  
            ownership of specified cattle on a form approved by CDFA.


          3)Permits an owner, exempt from inspection by this section, to  
            elect to have a cattle inspection pursuant to statute.


          EXISTING LAW:  Existing law requires cattle to be inspected  
          before being moved or transported under specified circumstances,  
          including whenever cattle are sold or ownership is transferred.   
          Existing law requires that the CDFA's Bureau of Livestock  
          Identification, inspect cattle and collect inspection.  Brands  
          are registered with the Bureau, or a dairy may register and  
          receive an exemption number for animal identification.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown.  Legislative Counsel has keyed this  
          bill fiscal.


          COMMENTS:  The inspection of cattle is a main deterrent to the  
          rustling (stealing) of animals and is statutorily required when  
          cattle are sold, ownership is transferred, or animals are moved.  
           Most livestock operations are family owned and animals may be  
          sold or given to family members to bring family member(s) into  
          their operation.  This can occur without animals being relocated  
          and without the management of an operation changing.  Cattle and  
          dairy producers believer that under these specific situations,  
          the mandatory inspection and its expense, is not needed.  This  
          could create a savings to cattle and dairy owners, while  
          reducing CDFA's revenues and potential workload.


          Livestock inspections can be costly and disruptive, but are  
          imperative when animals are sold, relocated, or taken to a sales  
          yard.  CDFA charges $1.05 per head for inspections.  The intent  
          of inspections are to prevent theft; therefore, when livestock  
          ownership is changed by voluntary means without animal  








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          relocation or operational management changes, a policy to exempt  
          inspection seems reasonable.


          


          The committee may wish to consider the following amendment:


          1)Allow a certain time period, to be determined by CDFA, for  
            reporting transfers.


          2)If an owner elects to have an inspection, then the inspection  
            is limited to those animals transferred, and not the entire  
            herd.


          3)Violation of this proposed exemption should have consequences.  
             There are existing statutes for violations of animal  
            transport without inspections, which including civil  
            penalties, recovery of CDFA costs, and an appeal process,  
            referencing them would provide for violation enforcement: "(d)  
            Any violations of this section are subject to penalties as  
            described in Section 21051.3."


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          California Farm Bureau Federation (Sponsor)










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          Milk Producers Council (Sponsor)


          California Cattlemen's Association


          California Chamber of Commerce




          Opposition


          None on file




          Analysis Prepared by:Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084