Background Information
In 2005, Wisconsin law was enacted that required livestock owners to register the locations where animals are kept with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). This is known as premise registration. Livestock is defined as cattle and other bovine animals, swine, poultry, sheep, goats, horses and other equine animals, farm-raised deer and other cervids, gamebirds, bison, llamas, ratites and fish. DATCP has contracted the registration of these premises with the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC).
To date, there has been no cost for farmers to register these premises. Wisconsin leads the nation in premise registration with over 55,000 identified locations. The program has been funded by federal earmarks from USDA. Approximately $1 million per year has gone to DATCP and WLIC for program costs, including education and outreach. Federal funding for the program has likely been eliminated with the fiscal situation in Washington, D.C. As a result, the future of the program needs to be examined.
DATCP and WLIC have indicated that a minimum of $250,000 is needed annually to continue the current premise registration program.
Current WFBF Policy
“We support the state’s livestock premise registration program. However, we oppose fees on producers to pay for livestock premise registration and support suspending the program if there is no federal or state funding for the program.”
Considerations
- Should existing WFBF policy be maintained?
- Should there be a fee on farmers to fund premise registration?
- Should state tax dollars fund the program?
- Are there other funding sources that should be considered, such as checkoff programs or tax incentives for the purchase of individual animal ear tags?
