Title 4, Title 4 and Animal Husbandry

Whenever the owner of any bovine animal suspects that animal to be affected with tuberculosis, and, in writing, requests the director of environmental management to inspect the animal, or if the director suspects any bovine animal to be affected with tuberculosis, the director sh…

If after the importation of cattle by any person, firm, corporation, or association, the director of environmental management is of the opinion that any of the cattle imported are at risk to be infected with tuberculosis, or if he or she has reason to question the accuracy or rel…

If as the result of the test pursuant to § 4-5-14 it is found that any cattle are afflicted with tuberculosis, the diseased cattle shall be immediately slaughtered in the manner provided in § 4-5-3 and the state shall not be required to compensate the owner for their loss but the…

Any person taking cattle out of, or otherwise breaking, the quarantine provided for in § 4-5-14 or violating any other provision of §§ 4-5-12 — 4-5-15 shall be fined not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) or be imprisoned for not more than …

When any person is shown to have knowingly brought into this state an animal suffering, or suspected to be suffering, with tuberculosis, or to have concealed the existence of that disease in any animal owned by him or her, that person is not entitled to any compensation for the a…

(a) Any cattle commissioner, veterinarian or other officer, agent, or employee appointed by the director of environmental management, having immediate control of the carcass of an affected animal as described in § 4-5-3, who permits the disposal of that carcass or any part in any…

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter for which a penalty is not otherwise provided shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or be imprisoned not exceeding one year.

Any animal showing a positive reaction to a tuberculin test shall be classified as a reactor and be identified in a manner which is recommended by the United States livestock sanitary association, and the animal disease eradication branch of the agricultural research service, Uni…

The director of environmental management may, in his or her discretion, establish circumscribed areas within which all bovine cattle are subjected to the tuberculin test, but in no case shall that area be smaller than a single city or town as provided. Before this area is establi…

Before proceeding to quarantine an area and to test the cattle in the area pursuant to § 4-5-20, the director of environmental management shall advertise the establishment of that area in some newspaper published in one of the towns included in that area, or if there is no newspa…

After any area has been established pursuant to §§ 4-5-20 and 4-5-21, no cattle shall be brought or transported into that area, except in accordance with the provisions of §§ 4-5-7 — 4-5-10, and except that cattle transported through the area on the highways by truck or railroad,…

Any person or any officer or agent of any corporation who violates any provision of §§ 4-5-20 — 4-5-22 or who hinders or obstructs the director of environmental management or any other authorized person in the discharge of any duty imposed by the provisions of §§ 4-5-20 — 4-5-22,…

If a tuberculin test indicates that an animal is affected with tuberculosis, or if, even though the animal fails to react to that test, the veterinarian shall condemn the animal as affected with tuberculosis, the animal shall at once be appraised under § 4-5-4 and killed in the p…

(a) For the purposes of § 4-5-3, the veterinarian and the agent assigned by the director shall constitute the board of appraisers, and the estimate of value by those two (2) persons is final, except as otherwise provided. Written notice of the amount of the appraisal, signed by t…

The director of environmental management is authorized to sell the carcass of any animal killed as tuberculous, when in the opinion of the board of appraisers that sale should be permitted. The proceeds of that sale shall be paid to the owner of the animal killed in accordance wi…

In the case of any bovine animal condemned as having any infectious, contagious, or communicable disease considered dangerous to livestock or public health, upon receipt of a post mortem examination, conducted by a veterinarian approved by the department of environmental manageme…

In the case of animals shipped into Rhode Island for immediate slaughter, the director of environmental management may at his or her discretion waive the filing of the chart and certificate; in those instances the director shall issue a special permit covering those animals for i…

All cattle in the state shall be tested for brucellosis in a manner which conforms to the standards proposed and accepted by the United States livestock sanitary association and the United States department of agriculture. The director of environmental management shall establish …

When the records kept by the department of environmental management indicate that eighty-five percent (85%) of the total cattle of the state, excepting steers and calves under six (6) months of age, are free from brucellosis, the state regulatory officials shall require that all …

Indemnities shall be paid by the state for brucellosis reactors on the same basis and in the same manner as now provided for tuberculosis reactors.

The director of environmental management, after a public hearing, may establish rules and regulations not inconsistent with this chapter, including health requirements for importing cattle, which have the force and effect of its provisions. A complete record of all animals coming…

Any person, firm, or corporation who buys, sells and/or transports cattle in violation of this chapter, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars ($200) for each animal bought, sold and/or transported.

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter; and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of that sum, or so much as may …

No person, firm or corporation, wherever located, who, in the judgment of the director of environmental management, is primarily engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging livestock within the state shall engage in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging live…

Each license provided for in § 4-7-8 shall be issued annually and may be revoked by the director for cause. If in the judgment of the director any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation made under these sections has been violated, the director shall send notice by re…

Any person operating a vehicle used in the business of buying, selling, and/or transporting live livestock shall deposit or display in the vehicle in some easily accessible place a license to engage in that business as provided by § 4-7-8.

The fee for the license issued to any one individual or corporation in accordance with this chapter is fifty dollars ($50.00).

No person shall transport livestock in connection with the sale of the livestock from place to place upon any public highway or road in this state unless he or she has in his or her possession a bill of sale signed by the vendor or agent of the vendor and containing the vendor’s …

This chapter shall not apply to a merchant or a producer of livestock who does not go from place to place buying, selling, and/or transporting livestock nor shall it apply to a farmers’ cooperative transporting livestock in connection with the operation of a cooperative.

The director has authority to administer the provisions of this chapter. He or she shall make and may modify rules and regulations necessary or incidental to the provisions of this chapter.

The director of environmental management may make rules and regulations governing animal care, the issuance of licenses and the carrying out of the licensed business and relative to the maintenance of premises, buildings and conveyances, the health rating of livestock intended fo…

It is the duty of the director to enforce the provisions of this chapter and to prosecute any and all persons who, in his or her opinion, are guilty of violating any of the provisions of those sections, and the director or his or her duly appointed agent or agents are not require…

Any person failing to pay for livestock purchased from the livestock producer, and who is or should be licensed under this chapter, is liable for damages three (3) times the amount unpaid plus reasonable attorney fees as liquidated damages in a civil suit brought by the livestock…

Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100) and for any subsequent offense by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200…

The director may revoke or suspend any license granted by him or her, if in his or her judgment the licensee is not complying with the rules and regulations made, provided, however, that the director shall not revoke or suspend a license until he or she shall have given the licen…

Any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging livestock, except for slaughter within seventy-two (72) hours, without a license shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars…

Every dealer of livestock is required to comply with existing rules and regulations governing the importation of livestock into the state.

As used in §§ 4-7-6 — 4-7-23: (1) “Director” means the director of the department of environmental management. (2) “Farmers’ co-operative” means a nonprofit association of producers organized with or without capital stock for the purpose of producing and/or selling food commoditi…

It is the duty of the director of the department of environmental management to supervise the movement of livestock from place to place within the state.

Any person, firm, partnership, or corporation, regularly engaged in the business of buying, selling and/or transporting livestock to be sold or used for any purpose, shall annually apply to the director for a license to buy, sell and/or transport livestock to be sold or used for …

The term “station” or “milk gathering station”, as used in this chapter, includes an established office where the business of buying milk or cream, as provided in this chapter, is carried on, with or without a place or premises in connection with the business for the physical han…

Every proprietor of a milk gathering station shall keep, in any form that the director of environmental management may prescribe, a record of transactions of purchases of milk or cream by him or her and he or she shall, at least semimonthly, or weekly if so agreed upon by the par…

If either party to the transaction of purchase and sale between a milk producer and a licensed buyer of milk is dissatisfied relative to any transaction of purchase and sale of milk between a milk producer and a licensed buyer of milk, he or she may apply to the director of envir…

The director of environmental management has power to investigate upon the complaint of any interested person, or of his or her own motion, the record of any person, firm, or corporation applying for or holding a license, or any transaction involving the purchase of milk for ship…

When a complaint is filed with the director of environmental management, he or she shall attempt to secure an explanation or adjustment, and, failing this within ten (10) days, he or she shall cause a copy of the complaint, together with a notice of the time and place for a heari…

The director of environmental management may decline to grant a license or may revoke a license already granted when he or she is satisfied of the existence of the following cases or either of them: (1) Where a money judgment has been secured by any milk producer and has been ent…