Puerto Rico hearing on House Bill 641: agencies back farmers' right to hunt feral pigs with caveats

SAN JUAN — The House Commission on Natural Resources held a public hearing Sept. 15, 2025, on House Bill 641, which would direct the secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, DRNA/DNA) to exceptionally authorize affected farmers to kill feral (asilvedado) pigs on their land “without the need for a license or special permit,” and to coordinate carcass handling with the Department of Agriculture and other agencies.

The Departments of Agriculture and Health and the Asociación de Agricultores de Puerto Rico told the committee they support the bill’s objective to reduce crop losses and protect local food security, but they attached conditions or raised operational concerns. Andrés Rosado Martínez, secretario auxiliar de integridad agrocomercial del Departamento de Agricultura de Puerto Rico, said the department "respalda al proyecto de la cámara 641" because it would provide an additional tool for farmers to dispose of feral pigs and help control an invasive population. He noted existing federal collaboration with U.S. wildlife services for capture and humane euthanasia of animals.

Mayra Toro Tirado, directora de la División de Salud Ambiental del Departamento de Salud, endorsed the bill but urged an explicit prohibition on consuming meat from these animals. "Recomendamos que se establezca de manera precisa en el proyecto que la carne de estos animales no es apta para el consumo humano," she told the committee, citing zoonotic risks including leptospirosis and rabies and warning of parasitic infections from undercooked meat.

Representatives of the DRNA reiterated the agency’s willingness to collaborate but warned the bill, as written, would remove important permit safeguards. Brenda Méndez, directora legal interina del DRNA, said eliminating permit requirements would "represent a substantial change in wildlife management," because permits enable sanitary controls, data collection and population monitoring. DRNA officials emphasized concerns about the allowed methods for killing animals and the use of firearms without license, and they flagged disposal and environmental-controls requirements for carcasses.

During nearly two hours of testimony and questioning, officials and stakeholders described operational details and data they said the committee should consider. The Agriculture Department reported that, since 2021, some 6,500 feral pigs have been captured and euthanized across 63 municipalities and that 4,000 samples were taken for disease surveillance. The Asociación de Agricultores offered numerous anecdotal loss estimates — one farmer reported about $15,000 in losses to cacao plantings, another case cited approximately $20,000 lost — and urged swift, practical measures. Vanessa Piñeiro Solano, directora ejecutiva de la Asociación de Agricultores, said farmers repeatedly tell the group they cannot keep pace with the animals’ reproduction and adaptation.

Committee members pressed agencies on response times and logistics. Department of Agriculture staff said reports of sightings are forwarded to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel who conduct capture operations; response can vary but was described as often within several hours and, at most, about 48 hours depending on workload and geography. Officials cautioned that carcass handling requires site selection, biosecurity and, in some cases, permits from environmental authorities; the health department and DRNA described one prior coordinated effort in which federal and local agencies used an identified Dorado site and an environmental permit to bury euthanized animals in a controlled pit.

Several representatives expressed urgency to protect farmers’ livelihoods while also seeking clarity on legal, safety and public-health limits. Representative Axel Roque Gracia, the bill’s author, said he introduced the measure after repeated constituent complaints of daily damage across multiple towns. Other members urged the committee to refine the draft to include training or licensing provisions and clear protocols on carcass disposition and interagency coordination.

The hearing produced no formal votes. Agencies were asked to supply follow-up material: the Health Department agreed to provide data on animal bite exposures and rabies-related surveillance within seven days; Agriculture was asked for aggregated economic-impact data and any additional capture statistics; DRNA and federal partners were to clarify jurisdictional overlaps and whether federal directives would conflict with any change in local law.

As the panel concluded its session, lawmakers said they would continue interagency discussions and consider technical amendments to balance emergency relief for farmers with public-health and environmental safeguards. The commission left the record open for the agencies’ annexes and promised additional meetings to reconcile regulatory, sanitary and enforcement details.