Title 5, Government Operations

No indemnity shall be paid to the owner or any person for property destroyed or damaged by activities authorized herein, unless specifically provided for in this Division or supporting regulations. Unless otherwise indicated, the costs of work done, material consumed, and equipme…

All cattle within Guam shall be tuberculin tested by the government veterinarian as often as in his judgment, with the approval of the Director, such testing is desirable in order to detect, suppress and eradicate bovine tuberculosis. The veterinari- ans and agent of the Departme…

It shall be unlawful for any person (a) to conceal, plant, harvest, dry, or process any pest or host which is subject to a Department control or eradication program and (b) fail to safeguard, dispose of, or otherwise handle such pests and hosts as instructed by an inspector or ag…

Any violation of the provisions of § 61206, above, shall be a petty misdemeanor. SOURCE: GC § 12131; amended by P.L. 13-187:102. ---------- ARTICLE 3 SLAUGHTERHOUSES AND SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS

Slaughterhouse means and includes any commercial establishment where cattle, swine, carabaos, deer, sheep, goats, horses or other livestock are killed for the purpose of obtaining the meat therefrom for human consumption. SOURCE: GC § 12140. Amended by P.L.25-030:2.

All matters concerning sanitation relative to the operation of slaughterhouses, the inspection of livestock, procedures for slaughtering and inspection of carcasses and meat shall be under the cognizance of the Director. SOURCE: GC § 12141.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to open a business, operate or continue to operate any slaughterhouse without a permit from the Director. (b) A person employed in the operation of a slaughterhouse shall have a valid health certificate from the Department of Public Health …

Every slaughterhouse hereafter established shall comply with the following: (a) Every slaughterhouse shall be kept clean and sanitary. All offal, blood, fat, manure or other refuse shall be removed therefrom immediately after completion of the slaughtering operations. (b) There s…

All livestock, except poultry, intended to be slaughtered for commercial purposes must be slaughtered in a slaughterhouse in a manner approved by the Department. SOURCE: GC § 12144.

An owner of livestock, except poultry, desiring to slaughter such livestock for meat for private human consumption may request the services of an inspector from the Director for the purpose of inspecting such livestock. Such inspection shall be made without charge, and the recomm…

An animal to be slaughtered in the Territory of Guam for the purpose of processing or manufacturing meat, meat products, or by-products therefrom for sale for human consumption, the carcass of such animal after slaughter, and any meat, meat product, or by-products processed or ma…

Meat: Unlawful. No person shall sell, or offer for sale, any meat not bearing a valid approval stamp as required under § 61307 of this Article, and no wholesaler or retailer shall have in his possession or on his business premises any meat not bearing a valid approval stamp as re…

It shall be unlawful for any person, except authorized employees or deputies of the Department, to possess, keep, or use any mark, stamp, or brand provided for use for marking, stamping, or branding the carcass of animals, parts thereof, meats, or meat food products. SOURCE: GC §…

No person shall slaughter or kill any cattle for food purposes unless he has secured a written permit from the Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner of the respective districts in Guam where the slaughtering occurs, within 24 hours of such slaughtering. Any person violating the …

Regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with § 60108 of this Division to implement this Article. SOURCE: GC § 12155; renumbered from § 12149 by P.L. 5-120.

Any violation of this Article or supporting regulations is a petty misdemeanor and punishable as such. SOURCE: GC § 12156; renumbered from § 12150 by P.L. 5-120; amended by P.L. 13-187:104. ---------- ARTICLE 4 BRANDING LAW OF 2000

As used in this Article: (a) Livestock means any cattle, carabao, horse, deer, mule or donkey. (b) Brand means any permanent tag, mark, sign, or symbol placed upon or implanted in livestock for the purpose of identifying the owner thereof.

This Article may be cited as the Branding Law of 2000.

No person shall own any livestock which does not carry the registered brand of such owner as required by this Article.

All livestock shall be branded within ninety calendar days of the date of birth, or one month after acquisition, whichever is later.

No person shall use any brand which has not been registered with the Department of Agriculture.

Application for registration of brands shall be made on a form furnished by the Department. If said application is approved, the Department shall forthwith issue to the applicant a certificate of brand registration upon payment of a fee of $10.00. Brands registered with the Depar…

The Department shall deny the registration of any brand which is identical to any brand previously registered, or which is easily altered from the brand of another. No brand shall be registered which is formed by representation of any letter, number or figure which has been previ…

Upon denial of any application for registration of brand, the application shall be returned to the applicant, together with a statement of the reason(s) for rejection. Another application may then be filed for a different brand.

(a) No person shall apply any brand to any livestock or other animal without the permission of the owner of the brand. (b) No person shall apply any brand to any livestock or other animal not owned by that person without the permission of the owner of such animal. (c) No person s…

A registered brand may be transferred to another person by application of the owner of the brand and the proposed transferee, and surrender of the original certificate of brand registration to the Department. The Department shall thereupon issue a new certificate of brand registr…

Any person who purchases or acquires livestock must brand such animals no later than 30 calendar days after acquisition. Previously branded animals not intended for slaughter within 30 calendar days of acquisition must be reregistered with the Department. An affidavit of livestoc…

The Director of Agriculture shall designate one or more employees of the Department to serve as Chief Brand Inspector and Deputy Brand Inspector, respectively, who will enforce the laws and regulations pertaining to branding of livestock and undertake any other related duties ass…

The Department shall disseminate information to interested persons relative to branding requirements and procedure, and may assist owners in the branding of their livestock and charge a reasonable fee thereof as prescribed by regulations.

Regulations implementing this Article shall be formulated, approved and issued in accordance with the Administrative Adjudication Act to carry out the purposes of this Article.

Any person violating any Section of this Article is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $50.00, nor more than $500.00, or by imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or by both fine and imprisonment.

[Repealed.] ( SOURCE: Repealed by P.L. 36-071:18 (Dec. 27, 2021). ---------- ARTICLE 5 ESTRAYS

SOURCE: This Article, the Branding Law of 1970, was repealed/reenacted from the former Article 4 on the same subject by P.L. 25-186:15.

As used in this Article, the following definitions shall apply: (a) Domestic animal means any sheep, pig, goat, horse, mule, deer, cattle or carabao. (b) Estray means any domestic animal found at large, or trespassing on public or private property. It includes, but is not limited…

All domestic animals must be confined by the owner thereof by adequate fencing, or be kept securely staked or tied, except where otherwise subjected to direct control by the presence of the owner or his authorized representative. SOURCE: GC § 12161.

It shall be unlawful for an owner of a domestic animal, willfully, to allow such animal to graze, or be at large, whether or not staked or tied, within any public right-of-way, school, park, or recreation area, or, except when duly authorized according to law, on any other public…

The Department of Agriculture shall seize and impound all estrays. The Commissioners of Guam shall have the concurrent responsibility with their respective jurisdictions of collecting any estrays and turning them over to the Department of Agriculture. SOURCE: GC § 12183; amended …

The Department of Agriculture shall maintain an estray animal control unit. The estray animal control unit shall provide for the care and keep of any estrays impounded as provided by this Article. SOURCE: GC § 12184; amended by P.L. 11-68.

Notwithstanding § 61505, any person finding any estray upon premises in his possession, or upon highways and streets adjacent thereto, may seize such estray and shall have a lien thereon for all costs incurred in seizing, keeping and caring for such estray and also for any damage…

The Director of Agriculture shall, within five days, after notification of impoundment of an estray, cause public notice to be given that the estray, if not reclaimed, will be sold at public sale at the Department of Agriculture by the Director on a date specified which shall be …

The charge per day for care and keep for each estray seized and impounded by the Department of Agriculture shall be Two Dollars for each horse, mule, cattle, or carabao and One Dollar per day for each sheep, pig, or goat. SOURCE: GC § 12187; amended by P.L. 11-68.

The owner of any impounded estray may obtain the release thereof, prior to sale, by producing evidence of ownership and paying all costs for care and keep, notice of sale, and any claim for costs and damages of the private person, if any, who made the seizure. If the owner refuse…

(a) Any estray remaining unclaimed at the time fixed for the date of sale in the notice required by § 61507 shall be sold at public sale by the Director. (b) The minimum acceptable bid at the sale on each estray shall not be less than the charged for care and keep, impounding, an…

The proceeds, if any, from the sale of estrays shall be paid into the General Fund. A private person claiming a lien against the estray shall file written proof of such amount of lien, under oath, with the Director. If the Director shall be satisfied of the validity of the amount…

No liability shall be incurred by the government of Guam or any of its officers or employees in carrying out the provisions of this Article. SOURCE: GC § 12191.

Any owner who violates any provision of this Article shall be published by a fine not to exceed Ten Dollars for the first violation, and a fine not to exceed Twenty-five Dollars for the second violation and any violation thereafter. SOURCE: GC § 12192; amended by P.L. 11-68. ----…