RS 3:2093 Powers - Louisiana Statutes

§2093.  Powers

The Louisiana Board of Animal Health shall have the following powers and duties:

(1)  To adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement and enforce the powers and duties assigned to the board by law.  All rules and regulations shall be adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(2)  To hold hearings and conduct investigations.  All adjudicatory hearings shall be held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(3)  To issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of documents and records anywhere in the state in any hearing before the board.

(4)  To issue charters and determine sale days for public livestock markets in accordance with R.S. 3:665.

(5)  To compel owners of livestock subject to regulation by the board to quarantine, test, or vaccinate the livestock whenever necessary to prevent, control, or eradicate any infectious disease present in the livestock.

(6)  To institute civil proceedings seeking injunctive relief to restrain and prevent violations of the laws or of administrative rules administered or enforced by the board.

(7)  To impose civil penalties of up to one thousand dollars for each violation of the laws and administrative rules administered and enforced by the board.  Each day on which a violation occurs shall be considered a separate offense.  Civil penalties shall be assessed only by a ruling of the board based on an administrative hearing conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.  The board may institute civil proceedings to enforce its rulings in the district court for the parish in which the violation occurred.

(8)  To advise the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the legislature with respect to all phases of the meat industry in Louisiana, including, but not limited to, the slaughtering and processing of meat and the implementation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the state meat inspection program.

(9)  To adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to monitor compliance with the prohibition against tampering with livestock at a public livestock exhibition as set forth in R.S. 14:102.1(B)(2).

Amended by Acts 1952, No. 273, §1; Acts 1952, No. 425, §2; Acts 1954, No. 689, §2; Acts 1982, No. 443, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1983; Acts 1997, No. 461, §1; Acts 2008, No. 920, §1, eff. July 14, 2008.