House-passed bill would tighten procedures for animal seizures and add study of cruelty statutes after Lee goat seizure

Representative Judy Aaron, sponsor of HB 616, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the bill emerged from a April seizure in Lee, New Hampshire, and aims to codify due-process protections and clearer procedures when animals are taken into custody in cruelty or neglect investigations.

Aaron described proposed changes to RSA regarding animal seizure procedures that she said were developed in consultation with the New Hampshire Farm Bureau, the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, UNH Extension and livestock owners. The changes in the bill would, among other points: direct law enforcement to consult a state veterinarian or a designated qualified veterinarian before taking livestock into custody; prohibit confiscation of animals unless the person is charged with cruelty/neglect or the animal is in imminent danger; require owners be told they may petition the court to have their animals examined by a veterinarian of their own choice (at the owner’s expense); prohibit altering confiscated animals before conviction except in extreme suffering cases; forbid custodial organizations from using seized animals for fundraising before a conviction; and…