Livestock Board and State Veterinarian

Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 11, ch. 18
in effect

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-101 Livestock board; creation; composition; qualifications; appointment and term of members; removal; vacancies; name defined.

(a) The Wyoming livestock board is created and shall consist of seven (7) livestock producers. At least three (3) members shall be sheep producers and at least three (3) shall be cattle producers, provided that if a vacancy exists on the board and no person meeting all the qualifications of this section is available then any livestock producer within the appointment district may be appointed. Members shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate and may be removed by the governor as provided in W.S. 9-1-202. The members shall be appointed from each of the appointment districts pursuant to W.S. 9-1-218 and the appointment for each district shall be rotated among the counties within the district. The members shall serve for one (1) six (6) year term and until their successors are appointed and qualified. In case of a vacancy for any reason, the governor shall appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy in accordance with W.S. 28-12-101. Each member of the Wyoming livestock board shall be a qualified elector of the county from which he is appointed and a resident of this state during his term of office. (b) The name, "Wyoming livestock and sanitary board" wherever it appears in any statute, law or regulation of record in this state or in any other document now in force and effect means "Wyoming livestock board." All powers, duties and prerogatives having accrued by law to the former livestock and sanitary board is hereafter vested in the Wyoming livestock board. (c) Appointments and terms under this section shall be in accordance with W.S. 28-12-101 through 28-12-103.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-102 Livestock board; duties generally.

The Wyoming livestock board shall exercise general supervision over and protect the livestock interests of the state from theft and disease, and shall recommend legislation as in its judgment will foster the industry.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-103 Livestock board; powers generally.

(a) In addition to powers and duties hereinafter provided, the Wyoming livestock board shall: (i) Appoint a state veterinarian who is a graduate of a veterinary college recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Wyoming state board of veterinary medicine and licensed to practice in Wyoming and who shall serve at the pleasure of the board; (ii) Consult with the state veterinarian when the state veterinarian appoints deputy state veterinarians. Any deputy state veterinarians shall act under the direction of the Wyoming livestock board and the state veterinarian. Deputy state veterinarians shall be graduates of a veterinary college recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Wyoming state board of veterinary medicine. Deputy state veterinarians shall serve at the pleasure of the state veterinarian. The state veterinarian shall supervise and control the action of the deputy state veterinarians and prescribe their duties and tenure of office; (iii) Supervise and control the action of the state veterinarian and prescribe his duties and tenure of office; (iv) Remove the state veterinarian at any time; (v) Promulgate and enforce rules, regulations and orders it deems necessary for the importation of domestic animals, excluding those animals covered in W.S. 23-3-301(a), recording and inspection of livestock brands, inspection, testing, brucellosis vaccination or quarantining of any livestock including brucellosis vaccination requirements for resident cattle and cattle imported into Wyoming and to develop a livestock health and emergency disease response program, including prevention, surveillance and investigation of livestock diseases through naturally occurring events or acts of agroterrorism. "Agroterrorism" for the purpose of this section means an intentional release of a biological or chemical agent that causes disease to livestock or crops or renders the food products of livestock or crops unsafe for human consumption; (vi) Exercise the power and authority conferred upon it by this act, either directly or through its agency; (vii) Designate an agency to act as its representative as provided by W.S. 11-20-201, recorded in its minutes, and transmit the name of the agency to the auditor and treasurer of Wyoming; (viii) Develop a comprehensive livestock health and emergency disease response program for reportable diseases as identified in W.S. 11-19-102; (ix) Promote the prevention, surveillance, investigation and elimination of diseases of concern and the protection of the overall health of Wyoming livestock by maintaining science based import regulations and quarantines and providing instruction to the ports of entry, veterinarians and law enforcement; (x) Administer the livestock law enforcement account created by W.S. 11-18-120; (xi) Convene when necessary for the purpose of considering the recommended closure of any elk feedground as provided under W.S. 23-1-305(a); (xii) Establish a standard communication protocol to inform livestock producers, veterinarians and brand inspectors in the designated surveillance area within the county where a non-negative brucellosis test has been confirmed for any animal; (xiii) Establish a standard notification protocol to inform livestock producers, veterinarians, brand inspectors and other agencies with jurisdiction or authority regarding anthrax outbreaks.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-104 Livestock board; oath.

Members of the Wyoming livestock board, before entering upon their duties, shall take the oath of office prescribed by the constitution, and file it in the office of the secretary of state.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-105 Livestock board; election of president; meetings generally.

The Wyoming livestock board shall elect one (1) of its members president. It shall meet at such times as called by the president, any three (3) members of the board, the state veterinarian or the director.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-106 Livestock board; quorum; compensation.

A majority of the board constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. Members of the board shall receive compensation, mileage and per diem for time actually spent in the performance of their duties and traveling expenses while in attendance, and going to and from board meetings in the same manner and amount as members of the Wyoming legislature.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-107 Livestock board; seal.

The Wyoming livestock board shall have a seal upon which is engraved "Wyoming Livestock Board."

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-108 Livestock board; report to governor.

The Wyoming livestock board shall report to the governor all proceedings and the condition of the livestock interest of Wyoming as required by W.S. 9-2-1014.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-109 Disposition of collected fees and monies in general fund; payment of expenses of board.

(a) All fees and monies collected by the Wyoming livestock board or any of its officers, agents or employees, not specifically required by law to be credited to a different fund, shall be placed by the board in the general fund with receipt and acknowledgement submitted to the state treasurer. (b) The expenses incurred in the conduct of the business of the Wyoming livestock board, the state veterinarian and the director, including the per diem of members of the board, the salaries or wages of the director, deputy state veterinarians and other necessary employees, traveling expenses, furnishing of offices, stationery, supplies and all other expenditures necessary and incident thereto, shall be paid out of the general fund appropriations provided by law. All expenses shall be itemized on the proper vouchers, approved by the director, covered by proper receipts, and paid by the state auditor from money appropriated by law.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-110 Director; deputy directors; term; powers and duties generally; orders subject to review.

(a) The board shall appoint a director, who shall be the chief executive officer of the board. The director shall serve at the pleasure of the board and act as the secretary of the Wyoming livestock board, subject to the rules and regulations of the board. He may act for and perform the duties imposed by law upon the board when the board is not in session, but an order or regulation made by him is subject to review, modification or annulment by the board at any subsequent meeting. (b) The director may appoint deputy directors for agency divisions. The deputy directors shall serve at the pleasure of the director and are responsible to and under the control and supervision of the director. (c) The director shall supervise and control the action of the other employees and prescribe their duties and tenure of office. (d) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, the director may only remove employees in accordance with personnel rules of the state executive branch.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-111 Deputy state veterinarians; appointment; powers and duties; term.

With the consent of the Wyoming livestock board and approval of either the federal veterinarian in charge of Wyoming or the chief of veterinary services, United States department of agriculture, the state veterinarian may appoint federal veterinary inspectors stationed in this state as deputy state veterinarians, and federal lay inspectors stationed in this state may be appointed agents of the Wyoming livestock board. All federal officers appointed as deputies or agents of the Wyoming livestock board shall possess the powers and duties of deputy state veterinarians or agents of the Wyoming livestock board, but they shall act without compensation and hold office only at the pleasure of the state veterinarian.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-112 Authority of federal authorities and state inspectors to call sheriffs for assistance; failure to comply; penalties.

All federal authorities authorized, and the various inspectors of this state, may call upon any sheriff or peace officer in any county in this state to assist them in the discharge of their duties and those peace officers shall assist them when so requested. The federal inspector has the same power to enforce the laws of this state as the various inspectors of the state when authorized as aforesaid and engaged in the discharge of their official duties. Any person refusing to comply with the orders of such officer or federal inspector shall be punished as provided in W.S. 11-1-103.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-113 When state veterinarian authorized to enter premises or vehicle to inspect livestock.

In the performance of their official duties, the state veterinarian or any agent or officer of the Wyoming livestock board may enter any place or vehicle used for the treatment, retention or transportation of livestock, including poultry, or where he has reason to believe any livestock affected with or exposed to infectious, contagious or communicable diseases may be found.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-117 Confidentiality of livestock premises and identification records; penalties.

(a) Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, all records, data and information collected by the state, recorded or otherwise, for the purposes of a livestock identification program shall be confidential and are not public records for purposes of W.S. 16-4-201 through 16-4-205. The records, data and information shall be released only upon order of the Wyoming livestock board to appropriate governmental agencies for the purposes of a livestock identification program, disease outbreak or law enforcement investigation. The board shall not release any records, data or information to a federal agency until the agency confirms in writing that it will maintain the records, data and information as confidential and that they are not subject to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended. Upon release by the board of any information to any other governmental entity, the board shall notify the person to whom the information refers or pertains that the release has been made, the name of the entity to whom the information was released and shall provide a copy or summary of the information contained in the release. The records, data and information shall not be subject to discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil action. (b) The Wyoming livestock board may release any information related to a confirmed non-negative brucellosis test in the county where the animal testing non-negative is located, subject to W.S. 11-18-103(a)(xii), and may release information collected for the purposes of a livestock identification program related to the ownership and location of individual animals to the extent the information is useful in controlling or preventing a disease outbreak or to show particular animals or herds are not involved in a disease outbreak. (c) For the purposes of animal disease traceability, Wyoming livestock owners may choose to identify animals using any methods set forth in 9 C.F.R. part 86, as adopted on January 9, 2013, as well as any additional methods that are later approved by the Wyoming livestock board as "official identification". (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or amend the brucellosis surveillance or testing program administered by the state. (e) A person who knowingly provides false information to the Wyoming livestock board for purposes of a livestock identification program shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), imprisonment for up to six (6) months, or both. (f) A person who refuses to provide to the livestock board information that is required under the authority of the livestock board for purposes of a mandatory livestock identification program shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), imprisonment for up to six (6) months, or both.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-118 Conducting business electronically.

The Wyoming livestock board may allow its business to be conducted electronically as provided by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, W.S. 40-21-101 through 40-21-119.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-119 Veterinarian loan repayment program; rulemaking authority.

(a) The board is authorized to enter into agreements with graduate veterinarians who are licensed to practice in the state of Wyoming, to provide food animal health care in this state. For purposes of this section, "food animal" means cattle, swine, sheep or goats. The agreements shall: (i) Provide for the veterinarian to practice food animal veterinary medicine in a community of the state from among a list of communities developed by the board. A veterinarian shall agree to provide food animal veterinary care for the period of the contract in underserved areas of the state; (ii) Provide that the veterinarian shall be repaid up to one hundred percent (100%) of the total amount of outstanding educational loans the veterinarian has acquired as a direct result of undergraduate or postgraduate educational training directly related to providing food animal veterinary services, not to exceed thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) per year, including the matching funds specified in subsection (d) of this section, in exchange for practicing his profession under the terms of this section; (iii) Require the veterinarian to practice food animal veterinary services for a minimum of three (3) years under the agreement; (iv) Contain other provisions the board deems necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purposes of this section. (b) The board, in consultation with the appropriate licensing board and professional association, shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. In carrying out this section the board shall assess food animal veterinary care needs of the state by geographic areas and shall prioritize and enter into agreements under this section accordingly. (c) The board may vary the terms of each agreement in accordance with this section based upon the community and the food animal veterinary needs of the state. (d) No state money shall be expended for repayment of any loan under this section unless twenty-five percent (25%) of the money is matched with other funds in any combination from any county, city, veterinary clinic, animal care facility, state agency, university, laboratory or veterinary association.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-120 Livestock law enforcement account; reimbursement of county sheriffs by livestock board; rules.

(a) There is created the livestock law enforcement account. Unexpended, unobligated funds in the account shall revert to the general fund at the end of a biennium. Unless otherwise provided by law, the balance in the account shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00). (b) Funds in the livestock law enforcement account shall only be expended by the livestock board to: (i) Reimburse county sheriffs for activities relating to in-state and out-of-state livestock investigations; (ii) Provide training to county sheriffs regarding livestock enforcement. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, reimbursement provided under paragraph (b)(i) of this section shall be credited to the applicable account, fund, subaccount or other accounting unit within the budget of a county which is controlled by the county sheriff. Reimbursement provided under paragraph (b)(i) of this section shall not be withheld by a board of county commissioners from a county sheriff or deducted from the budget of a county sheriff. (d) The livestock board shall adopt rules to implement this section, which shall include eligible expenses, rates and procedures for reimbursement.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-18-121 Identification of livestock; livestock board responsibilities.

(a) The Wyoming livestock board shall inform livestock producers of all available options under W.S. 11-18-117 for identification regarding disease traceability. (b) The buyers of livestock in receiving states shall be responsible for tagging livestock if an electronic identification device requirement is mandated in the receiving state, unless the Wyoming livestock owner has voluntarily utilized electronic identification devices. (c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a Wyoming licensed and accredited veterinarian from writing a certificate of veterinary inspection in compliance with applicable destination requirements.
Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title11.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026