Livestock Board sets hearing dates

Casper – May 14 and Aug. 13 will serve as the dates for two public hearings the Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) is planning to conduct regarding disease preparedness.
    WLSB Chief Executive Officer Jim Schwartz, during a Feb. 25 conference call, told board members he doesn’t want to see the hearings focus only on the USDA’s National Animal Identification System. “I want to find out what the industry would like to see happen,” he said. Formation of a program that meets Wyoming’s needs and works in the event of an animal disease outbreak will be the focus of the meetings.
    The first meeting will take place in Riverton on May 14. A second hearing will be held in Douglas on Aug. 13 during the Wyoming State Fair. That afternoon WLSB officials will make a report to attendees at the annual Cattlemen’s Conference, sponsored by the Roundup and Double S Feeders, on the outcome of the public hearings.
    Attendees at the May 14 hearing will also have the opportunity to comment on the WLSB’s Chapter 8 Import Rules. This chapter of WLSB regulations addresses the guiding factors for importing livestock to the state. Efforts to protect Wyoming’s livestock industry from tuberculosis are one aspect of these broader regulations. Once comments are gathered at the hearing the WLSB will begin the formal process of amending and updating the regulations.
    Schwartz told WLSB members Tuesday night that Representative Sue Wallis of Recluse, who sponsored legislation that would have ended Wyoming’s involvement in NAIS, has agreed to attend both hearings.
    Watch future editions of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup for specific times and locations. Those wishing to review the state’s Chapter 8 import rules prior to May 14 can find them online at http://wlsb.state.wy.us. Jennifer Womack is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.