Bill would protect livestock producers' information

Animal numbers, location, finances would not be available to public

By STEVE BROWN

Capital Press

OLYMPIA -- A legislative committee passed a bill Jan. 16 that would protect livestock producers' proprietary information the state collects.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture administers the animal disease and livestock identification program. Mark Streuli, policy assistant to the director of WSDA, said that owner information would be important in the event of a disease outbreak.

"Protecting that information encourages sharing with the department," he said.

Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 6087, which has bipartisan support. A companion bill in the House, HB2456, is sponsored by Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger.

Information that would not be subject to public disclosure includes:

* Animal ownership.

* Number of animals.

* Locations.

* Contact information.

* Movements of livestock.

* Financial information.

* Purchase and sale information.

* Account numbers.

* Unique identifiers issued by government.

* Information related to livestock diseases that would identify a specific animal, person or location.

Jack Field, of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, said the bill was written in consultation with both the WSDA and livestock producers and has their support. The legislation will give producers confidence that the information they divulge will be protected, he said.

The exemptions were also included in the now-defunct National Animal Identification System. USDA is replacing it by coordinating with states and tribal organizations to track livestock sold across state lines.

In a unanimous vote Jan. 17, the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee gave the bill a do-pass recommendation and forwarded it to the Rules Committee.

Other legislative action this week:

* Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, introduced House Bill 2238, which would provide a means of funding the Forest Riparian Easement Program. Established by the state in 1999, FREP was designed to compensate forest landowners for value lost to required stream buffers. But FREP has never been funded, and many landowners have compensation requests pending.

The bill would create a Riparian and Aquatic Resources Enhancement Account, administered by the Forest Practices Board. The primary source of revenue would be payments made by agencies such as the Department of Transportation to mitigate the loss of wetlands.

* HB2329, introduced by Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, would provide relief for rural counties whose forestland has been encumbered by the presence of endangered species, such as the spotted owl or marbled murrelet.

The bill would create a pool of state forestland that would be managed for the benefit of the affected counties.

* Senate Bill 5981, which would raise fees for seed licenses from the WSDA, was passed by the Senate Ag Committee and sent to the Rules Committee.