HB 218-STATE VETERINARIAN;ANIMALS;PRODUCTS 1:56:34 PM CO-CHAIR TARR announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 218, "An Act relating to the state veterinarian and to animals and animal products." 1:56:40 PM CO-CHAIR TARR, prime sponsor, explained that HB 218 is an attempt to strengthen agriculture opportunities in Alaska by moving the position of state veterinarian from its current location within the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to the Division of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Many states have a Department of Agriculture, she said, but Alaska doesn't and instead has a Division of Agriculture. Typically, state veterinarians are housed with agriculture because of the close relationship to inspecting livestock and supporting agriculture. She noted that Alaska's state veterinarian has responsibilities related to livestock and agriculture as well as for illnesses, shellfish testing, and environmental health testing. CO-CHAIR TARR pointed out that moving the state veterinarian position from DEC's environmental lab and integrating it into the Division of Agriculture is not as simple as is outlined in the bill. Bringing forth the bill is the first phase of the idea of moving the position, she explained, and the next phase is working together on the necessary structural changes to be included. Current statute specifically places some of the responsibilities for the state veterinarian under DEC, and Legislative Legal Services, Legislative Affairs Agency, has advised that this needs to be resolved. If the position is moved, she continued, the more complex part will be deciding whether to reclassify some of the support staff under the veterinarian and whether to reclassify some of the responsibilities. It will be necessary to resolve who is housed where, who is responsible for what, and whether it means different positions, she said, so there is reason to be thoughtful and do it right. For example, shellfish testing might stay with the environmental health lab while things related to livestock and typical agriculture responsibilities would go over to the Division of Agriculture. 2:00:07 PM REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH inquired whether it would be DEC's or the Division of Agriculture's responsibility should avian flu come to Alaska, given that avian flu would be an issue of health and well-being of the population. CO-CHAIR TARR replied that health-related illness testing is currently the responsibility of DEC. She deferred the question to DEC. CHRISTINA CARPENTER, Director, Division of Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), responded that DEC has authority over a disease outbreak in animals and in domestic poultry. She said her division's Food Safety and Sanitation Program coordinates that effort with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior. Coordination across agencies and programs is required because avian flu could spread from a domestic flock to wild flocks or to the human population. CO-CHAIR TARR remarked she is glad for the question because it shows the problem of overlapping jurisdiction. 2:02:21 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked which agency would take care of a problem involving raw milk sickness. CO-CHAIR TARR answered it would be DEC. She invited Ms. Carpenter to present DEC's statement on the bill. MS. CARPENTER said DEC is very supportive of Representative Tarr's efforts to grow the agricultural industry in Alaska and looks forward to working on this with DNR and others during the interim. She pointed out the importance of recognizing that the agricultural and fishing industries are dependent on the work that the state is performing as part of the larger food safety and animal health team within DEC. She said DEC is willing to work together to try to find the resources that the Division of Agriculture needs to implement its plans to grow the agriculture industry in Alaska, while continuing to meet DEC's responsibilities and demands. 2:03:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER inquired whether DEC has a position on the raw milk bill. MS. CARPENTER replied that her division is looking forward to continuing the conversations with the stakeholders during the interim. The existing cow share program has seemed to work for the individuals who want to obtain raw milk. If it needs to be revisited, the division can be part of those discussions. 2:05:04 PM ARTHUR KEYES, director, Division of Agriculture, DNR, pointed out that 74 percent of the departments or divisions of agriculture throughout the U.S. are organized with the state veterinarian under the purview of those departments of agriculture. If given the opportunity to be like those other departments of agriculture, a state veterinarian in his division would be focused on agriculture, including animal imports, certifications, licenses, and problems and issues with meat, fiber, and dairy production. He said the greatest opportunity would be education and outreach, specifically to farmers, because the opportunities for the farmers to learn are tremendous. There would also be work with consumers and other issues would be opportunities with getting animals to market and quarantine authority. A recent issue, he noted, is wild sheep, which is an odd issue in that the farmers are looking to the Division of Agriculture for help. However, he explained, the Division of Agriculture is the odd man out in that it doesn't have a voice in the conversation because it doesn't have the authority since the state veterinarian is housed in DEC. MR. KEYES stated that the industries of animal care, nutrition, poultry, and livestock have been growing and many younger people are coming in. For example, he continued, the Matanuska-Susitna Coop is a dynamic organization that is putting locally produced eggs on the grocery shelves. That tells him that the industry is growing and there is tremendous opportunity, and if his division had a state veterinarian like other departments of agriculture his division would be there helping this industry grow. A state veterinarian housed within the Division of Agriculture, he said, would focus on strengthening the agriculture businesses in Alaska and increasing Alaska's food security. Agriculture is growing, he reiterated, animal import numbers are up, and the opportunity for the industry to continue growing is there. 2:08:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER requested Mr. Keyes to expound on the sheep and goat issue that was mentioned. MR. KEYES qualified that he is not an expert on this issue and the issue is outside the purview of his division. He explained that the Wild Sheep Foundation has put Proposition 90 before the [Board of Game]. This proposition would have the Board of Game remove sheep and goats from the "clean list," a de facto way of making it so sheep and goats cannot be imported and would require fencing of these animals that is not economical from a production standpoint. The agriculture community views this proposition as very unpalatable, he said, because it would damage the producers that have sheep and goats in Alaska. The state veterinarian is the one who makes the decision as to whether sheep and goats are still a livestock animal and a clean animal that can still be raised in Alaska. The agriculture community is looking at the Division of Agriculture because they are viewing this as an agriculture issue, he continued, but the division is in the very strange situation of not having the voice to make a decision in this regard. 2:11:08 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked what the clean issue is about. MR. KEYES responded that domesticated sheep and goats could carry disease that wild sheep and goats don't have and don't have immunity to. When a wild sheep or goat comes in contact with a domesticated animal carrying the disease, the disease can be transmitted to the wild animal. He offered his understanding that the prevalence of the disease of concern is suspected to be incredibly low, especially in Alaska. The argument he has heard is that the concern is being blown out of proportion. He said he further understands that the Wild Sheep Foundation is an outside group that is developing chapters within Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER inquired whether there have been any cases in Alaska of the disease that is being talked about. MR. KEYES deferred to the state veterinarian for an answer, but said his understanding is that there have been no cases that warrant this kind of concern. 2:13:20 PM CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON recalled that between 1815 and the 1820's there were problems throughout the Midwest with people becoming sick and sometimes dying from consumption of bad milk. He asked whether Mr. Keyes knows what that was about and whether it is no longer a concern. MR. KEYES replied he cannot speak to that. CO-CHAIR TARR interjected that some problems with milk are attributed to problems with cleanliness. Even with provisions [in legislation], there would still be a need for someone to do inspections, she said. The farmers must be relied upon to not milk from a cow that has any kind of sickness. While Alaska doesn't yet have a huge dairy industry, she continued, it is an industry that people want to see expanded for the production of milk and cheeses. People were very disappointed when the Matanuska creamery went out of business because it was a reduction in the industry rather than an expansion. She posited that the bill might be something that would improve things. 2:15:24 PM MR. KEYES stated that DEC is currently doing a lot of work that wouldn't be appropriate to agriculture. He said DEC is doing a tremendous amount of important work for the state, but DEC's mission is different than that of the Division of Agriculture. CO-CHAIR TARR responded that if things were to be re-organized then there would need to be a sorting out of who has what responsibilities. 2:16:32 PM JOHANNA HERRON, development specialist, Division of Agriculture, DNR, in response to Co-Chair Tarr, said the farmers markets open at various time throughout the state, but some start toward the end of May. She said the division would make a schedule available as soon as the information is received from the market managers. [HB 218 was held over.]