AN ACT to amend and reenact section 36-25-01 of North Dakota Century Code, relating to the definition of farmed elk.
HB 1082 amends North Dakota Century Code section 36-25-01, which contains definitions used in the chapter governing farmed elk. The bill revises the definition of “farmed elk” to clarify that it includes North American elk (Cervus canadensis) confined in a manmade enclosure designed to prevent escape, while excluding red deer. It also retains the existing categories of purposes for which farmed elk may be raised or maintained, including fiber, meat, animal byproducts, breeding, exhibition, harvest, or any other purpose.
In practical terms, the bill is a definitional update rather than a broad policy change. By refining the species description and expressly excluding red deer, it helps align the statutory definition with current animal classification and farmed elk regulation in North Dakota. The amendment affects the legal framework used by the Agriculture Commissioner, the state board of animal health, and owners or operators of farmed elk facilities.
The bill changes the statutory definition of “farmed elk” in Chapter 36-25, which may affect how the state regulates, licenses, inspects, or enforces rules related to elk operations. It clarifies which animals fall within the chapter’s scope, potentially reducing ambiguity for producers and regulators and ensuring that red deer are not treated as farmed elk under this definition.
The available legislative record shows strong, unanimous support for the bill. It passed the House 93-0 and the Senate 47-0, with no recorded opposition or committee controversy. The absence of committee transcripts suggests the measure was viewed as a technical or clarifying update rather than a contentious policy proposal.
No notable contention is reflected in the available materials. The bill appears to have been noncontroversial, with no recorded dissent in either chamber and no committee discussion provided. Any substantive issue would likely have been limited to the technical scope of the definition—specifically the exclusion of red deer and the precise species terminology used for farmed elk.