BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 732
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
732 (Cooper) - As Amended April 8, 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Policy |Agriculture |Vote:|10 - 0 |
|Committee: | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
No
SUMMARY:
This bill creates an exemption to the mandatory cattle
inspection requirements of the Department of Food and
Agriculture (DFA) following the sale or transfer of ownership of
cattle under the following circumstances:
1)The individual or entity with controlling interest in cattle
remains unchanged;
AB 732
Page 2
2)The cattle are not being moved out of state or out of a
modified point-of-origin inspection area (currently Yolo, San
Luis Obispo, Modoc, and parts of Lassen Counties); and
3)The cattle are associated with either the registered brand or
the dairy exemption number.
The bill requires all existing and new owners to certify their
ownership to DFA at the time of ownership transfer, and permits
owners who are otherwise exempt from inspection under this
section to elect to have a cattle inspection regardless.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Minor and absorbable net fiscal impact to DFA as a result of
conducting fewer annual inspections, offset by a comparable
reduction in inspection fees collected.
COMMENTS:
AB 732
Page 3
1)Purpose. According to the author, many livestock operations
are family-owned, and animals are often given to family
members as farms and ranches are passed between generations.
A transfer of ownership can occur without the animals being
relocated or any change in animal stewardship, yet for cattle,
the transfer still triggers mandatory inspections. This bill
eliminates the inspection requirement in those situations.
The author believes it is important to reduce unnecessary
impediments to passing farms and ranches onto the next
generation.
2)California Cattle Rustlin' Roundup. Inspection is the primary
deterrent for cattle rustling (stealing). Existing law
requires all cattle to be inspected before being moved or
transported under certain circumstances, including upon sale
or transfer of ownership. Cattle brands and dairy exemption
numbers are registered with DFA's Bureau of Livestock
Identification, and the Bureau inspects cattle and collects
fees of $1.25 per head upon transfer. Livestock inspections
can be costly and disruptive, but remain critical to
preventing theft in situations of actual move or sale.
Analysis Prepared by:Joel Tashjian / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 732
Page 4