Title 5 — Government Operations

The Department shall protect and promote the agricultural resources and economy of the Territory of Guam by research, quarantine, control, conservation, and extension work as authorized or required in this Division and in other laws. SOURCE: GC § 12026.

The Governor may enter into cooperative agreements with individuals and associations, and with agencies of the United States and United Nations, for the purpose of furthering the Department’s program; provided, however, that no wildlife refuge, agricultural preserve or conservati…

The Department shall employ or otherwise have available for its use, a qualified veterinarian who shall perform such duties as are given him by law or regulation, or as prescribed by the Director. SOURCE: GC § 12028.

(a) The Director of Agriculture is authorized to recruit PAWS (Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety) volunteers to assist the Guam Department of Agriculture in the enforcement of the animal cruelty laws in Article 1 of Chapter 70, Title 9, Guam Code Annotated. The Director shall …

Fund. [Repealed.] SOURCE: GC § 12010 added by P.L. 11-119 (Feb. 23, 1972). Amended by P.L. 20-105:1 (Oct. 16, 1989). Repealed by P.L. 36-071:13 (Dec. 27, 2021). 2022 NOTE: Prior to its repeal, this provision stated in its entirety: There is hereby created the Farmer’s and Fisherm…

The following classes of loan are hereby established in granting loans: (1) Class A - Improvement of farm lands: (a) Improvement of far lands; (b) Purchases, construction or improvement of essential non-residential buildings on farm lands. (2) Class B - Farm operating loans: (a) …

To be eligible for loans made under § 60301, an applicant shall be: (a) A qualified farmer or fisherman. (b) A citizen of the United States who has resided in Guam for at least three consecutive years. (c) Willing to carry out all recommended farm and fishing management practices…

Any loan in excess of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) shall be secured by duly recorded first mortgage upon any of the following property within the territory: (1) Fee simple farmland. (2) Leaseholds of farmland where the lease has an unexpired term of at least two (2) years longe…

Every borrower who is granted a loan under § 60301 shall comply with the following conditions: (a) Expend no portion of his loan for purposes other than those sanctioned by the Department of Agriculture. (b) Carry out recommended farm management practices, including the keeping o…

(a) Loans made under § 60301 shall be repaid in accordance with a payment plan specified by the Department with payments applied first to the interest and then to the principal. (b) Additional payments in any sums, or the payment of the entire principal may be made at any date wi…

There is within the government of Guam a Board of Trustees of the Revolving Loan Fund, hereafter referred to as the Board of Trustees, to consist of five members appointed by the Governor, two of which must be bona fide farmers. A member of the Department of Agriculture shall be …

All loans shall be paid out on warrants signed by the Director of Agriculture. SOURCE: GC § 12010.7 added by P.L. 11-119.

There is hereby authorized to be appropriated $350,000 to the Farmers’ Small Loan Revolving Fund. All assets and liabilities of the Farmers’ Small Loan Revolving Fund as established by P.L. 9-121, as amended, are hereby transferred to the Farmers’ Small Loan Revolving Fund of thi…

There is hereby created a Cooperative Association Revolving Fund for the purpose of granting loans to farmers’ and fishermen’s cooperative associations. SOURCE: GC § 12011 added by P.L. 11-119.

Loans may be granted to cooperative associations engaged in production, marketing, purchasing, processing and providing farm business services, including: (a) Facility loans to purchase or improve land, buildings and equipment for an amount not to exceed $50,000 and a term not to…

The Revolving Fund Loan Board of Trustees set forth in § 60307 shall administer the Fund in accordance with the provisions of § 60350 through § 60353 of this Chapter. SOURCE: GC § 12011.2 added by P.L. 11-119.

All assets and liabilities of the Guam Farmers Cooperative Association Revolving Fund as established by P.L. 9-121 are hereby transferred to the Cooperative Association Revolving Fund established by this Article. SOURCE: GC § 12011.3 added by P.L. 11-119.

A farm for purposes of this section shall be farmland used for bona fide agriculture, as defined in § 60102 of this Title. No person who is engaged in agricultural use of farmland may be forced or required to stop such farming activities because of changes in the usages of surrou…

As used in this Chapter: (a) Pest means insect, fungus, bacterium, virus and other forms of animal and plant life known or suspected to be injurious to Guam crops and livestock or poisonous to fish. (b) Host means plant or animal or part thereof, soil, container, vehicles, or oth…

Regulations shall be promulgated, in accordance with 60108 of this Division, to protect Guam agriculture from new plant and animal diseases. Such regulations may establish quarantines at the border of or within Guam, prohibiting or restricting the entry and movement of designated…

The Director is hereby authorized and empowered to enter upon any air or sea craft arriving at Guam whether off-port, at pier or wharf, or at an airfield; to enter any pier, wharf, depot, ware- house or other places where any regulated article exists or is be- lieved to exist; an…

The Director shall have the power to safeguard any animal, plant, or other regulated article when, in his opinion, such confinement is necessary to prevent the spread of a pest from such article. SOURCE: GC § 12103.

Regulated articles which can be safely and effectively treated to destroy associated pests, may be treated in a manner deemed necessary and adequate by the Director. Surfaces, areas and things actually or possibly contaminated with imported pests may be so treated. SOURCE: GC § 1…

Any treatment which may be required under the provisions of this Article shall be at the risk and at the expense of the owner or person in charge or in possession thereof at the time of treatment unless otherwise provided in supporting regulations. SOURCE: GC § 12105.

Regulated articles and things exposed to contamination therefrom, which cannot be made pest free by any treatment approved by the Director, shall be destroyed or shipped out of Guam, as ordered by the Director. SOURCE: GC § 12106.

Exception the salary and transportation of any inspector, the costs of plant and animal quarantine activities shall, as determined by the Director, be borne by the owner or person in charge or in possession of any regulated article involved in such costs. The government of Guam, …

[Repealed.] SOURCE: GC § 12108; repealed by P.L. 11-205. CROSS-REFERENCE: See 5 GCA Title 10, Health & Safety, for labeling and regulation of food.

It shall be unlawful and punishable upon conviction as a petty misdemeanor, for any person to violate any provisions of this Article and supporting regulations, including but not limited to (a) concealment from an inspector of any regulated article or failure to present the same …

The Department is authorized to perform or participate in pest control or eradication work when, in the opinion of the Director, such work by the Department is of general benefit to Guam agriculture and not largely for the benefit of one or few individuals. Any owner may be requi…

Regulations shall be promulgated, in accordance with § 60108 of this Chapter, to protect plants, fish and animals from destructive and injurious pests. SOURCE: GC § 12126.

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…

[Repealed.] SOURCE: GC § 12130 added by P.L. 3-103; repealed by P.L. 5-62. CROSS-REFERENCE: For dog control laws, see 10 GCA Chapter 34.

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.