Jerald Raymond — Jerald Raymond, as chair of the House Agricultural Affairs Committee, called the meeting to order, was addressed by another speaker as Chairman Raymond, and then turned the gavel over to the vice chair.
Jerald Raymond — Addressed as Chairman Raymond in the exchange about adult vaccination definitions.
Jerald Raymond — Jerald Raymond asked for recognition and then moved to approve docket number 020426-2-2501, continuing the same parliamentary action across the overlapping transcript mentions.
John Shirts — Vice Chair took over conducting the meeting.
John Shirts — During the question period, John Shirts is repeatedly addressed as Chairman Shirts or Mr. Chairman while the discussion continues in a single uninterrupted exchange.
Mr. Knight — Mr. Knight introduced the Hops Commission docket and explained the rulemaking background, including that the rule is being repealed because it duplicates existing statute. In response to questions, he said there was no distinct rule-only safeguard and that the language is nearly identical to the statute, supporting repeal.
Lloyd Knight — Lloyd Knight of the Department of Agriculture explained why two dockets were combined into one, noting that a temporary rule was put in place with basic sideboards, including definitions, a compensation matrix, and claim deadlines. He then described how three stakeholder meetings held the previous summer led to updated definitions and changes to the compensation matrix.
Douglas Pickett — Commented that proponents of the original wolf reintroduction program agreed to compensate livestock owners for losses.
Douglas Pickett — Douglas Pickett asked a series of related questions about brucellosis vaccination in cattle, including whether cattle not vaccinated in calfhood could still be carriers, how the vaccine works, and whether vaccinating an adult cow could lead to a false positive result.
Lori McCann — Representative McCann moved to approve docket 02-0108-2501, noting it was a temporary rule effective through June 30, 2026, then later asked whether there were any further questions or discussion before putting the motion to a vote.
Lori McCann — Moved to approve the docket.
Jack Nelsen — Representative Nelson sought recognition to comment on the motion and then discussed wolf population levels, noting they are about double the original introduction level and raising concerns about predator impacts on livestock.
Dr. Scott Livesley — Dr. Scott Livesley introduced himself as the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s administrator of Animal Industries and state veterinarian, then gave a detailed overview of Idaho’s brucellosis program. He explained how brucellosis spreads, why the designated surveillance area serves as a buffer zone around the Greater Yellowstone area, how many herds are in the surveillance area, and that the DSA borders have been stable since 2012. He noted that finding positives indicates the surveillance system is working, that Idaho currently has no herds under quarantine, and that the state is a mandatory vaccination state. He also described vaccination and testing totals, the importance of testing for interstate cattle sales, the slaughter testing program and its low cost, and how testing numbers fluctuate with herd size, slaughter volume, and elk movement. He then shifted to the pending rule rewrite, explaining that brucellosis is a USDA program disease with limited state flexibility, that the changes are largely strike-and-score edits, and that the proposed rules do not change the regulatory scope of the program.
Dr. Scott Livesley — Dr. Scott Livesley, administrator of the Division of Animal Industries at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the state veterinarian, introduces the tuberculosis docket and begins a brief overview of Idaho’s tuberculosis surveillance program, setting up the discussion of transmission, M. bovis, and related public health concerns.
Dr. Scott Livesley — Dr. Scott Livesley introduced himself as the administrator of Animal Industries at the Department of Agriculture and the state veterinarian, then began his presentation on docket 020426 concerning rules governing the public exchange of livestock.
Dan Garner — Dan Garner asked about the significant decline in testing for live and slaughtered elk shown on the slide, questioning why the numbers had dropped over the last two years and whether elk are still being tested at all.
Dr. Livesley — Dr. Livesley explained the brucellosis vaccination program in detail: RB-51 is the current brucellosis vaccine, designed to prevent abortion in infected cattle and to avoid the testing confusion caused by the older Strain 19 vaccine. He said vaccinated infected animals should still be repeatedly tested because brucellosis is bacterial, not viral, and RB-51 allows officials to distinguish vaccinated animals from truly positive ones. He also addressed official ID requirements, noting that only electronic official ID is now used, that the associated numbers are protected under Idaho public records law, and that the database transmitting them to the Department of Agriculture is secure. He added that the issue was discussed during negotiated rulemaking, that the statewide brucellosis rule is outdated but remains in place for now, and clarified adult vaccination rules: animals over 12 months old may be vaccinated, but they must go through the office and receive a different tattoo even though the same vaccine product is used.
Shawn Dygert — Shawn Dygert asked whether the program now relies on unique electronic ID (EID) tags instead of metal clip tags, then followed up by asking whether the information from EID tags is secure from misuse. He concluded by asking for guidance on whether Idaho should move away from mandatory vaccination in the future.
David Leavitt — Likely the intended speaker name in the transcript cue 'Representative Bray' is not in the expected list; the question is attributed to an unidentified representative asking about heifers and vaccination timing.
David Leavitt — Representative Levin was called on by the chair during the question period and then made a motion to approve docket number 02-04-24-2501.
Dr. Lively — Dr. Lively explained that the report can be sorted and classified by individual lot, and that it essentially provides the same information as the prior paper form in a single electronic, line-by-line report showing who bought which groups of cattle.