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Board describes new statutory fencing requirement for farmed cervids and rollout progress
Summary
Staff explained how the board is implementing a 2023 statute requiring a physical barrier between wild and farmed cervids; the board has a fencing-plan review process and has approved plans for dozens of enclosures while some producers have opted out citing cost.
Dr. Heather D'Amico, the board's senior veterinarian for the farmed cervid program, reviewed implementation of a 2023 law that took effect Sept. 1 and requires a physical exclusion barrier between wild and farmed cervids.
The board developed a fencing-plan form with examples and a review panel that includes board field and office staff plus a USDA representative. Plans submitted to the panel are uploaded to the board's tracking system so field inspectors can verify compliance during annual inspections. Dr. D'Amico said the agency has 84 producers with jurisdictional herds in the program; 48 have approved fencing plans and 12 exclusionary fences have been inspected on site.
She described commonly approved solutions (double 8-foot fences, secondary wire barriers with a separation to prevent nose-to-nose contact, and dense shade cloth) and said that the board has tried to remain flexible about acceptable engineering while ensuring the barrier prevents direct contact with wild cervids. Some producers reported the cost of construction as a barrier; a $10,000 cap on a prior grant was noted as insufficient for larger projects.
Next steps: continue weekly fencing-panel reviews, complete outstanding plan submissions, conduct on-site inspections as part of annual inspections, and provide guidance to producers on approved materials and options.
