Understanding the New Swine Transportation Law

by Eileen A. Coite, Wayne County

Have you heard of House Bill 432, better known as the “Transportation of Swine”?  If you produce and market swine in North Carolina, and transport hogs on public roads, you will want to be familiar with the details of this new law as of June 27^th, 2011.  The law takes effect October 1, 2011, and will very likely be a concern of some small and mid-sized swine producers.

Most producers identify all animals on their farm with some form of identification, whether an ear tag, tattoo, ear notch, or combination of these.  However, after October 1, each animal that is transported either to another farm or a processing facility must be identified with a method approved by the State Veterinarian.  Producers are invited to give input to determine which methods will meet requirements of the law, but also be of little hassle, cost, and inconvenience to them.  In fact, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Veterinary Division will be providing tags for identification, free to producers. Producers may contact the NCDA office to order these tags.  

What has caused the need for this legislation?  Feral swine is the sole purpose for this law.  This new law is not intended to trace animals back to a particular farm, but is only intended to distinguish between domestic and feral swine. Feral swine have become a major problem in North Carolina, and identification of domestic swine is critical to identifying those that are transporting feral hogs. 

It is important to note that even though the law is in effect October 1, 2011, the State Veterinarian’s office will be using this first year to educate producers and not penalize those unaware.  However, anyone that is found blatantly conducting illegal activity and transporting feral swine will be fined, at a rate of $5000 per feral hog being moved.  This is why identification is so critical.  

For more information on the Swine Transportation Law, to order tags, or give input to the State Veterinarian’s office, producers are asked to call 919-733-7601 and ask for someone in the livestock section.  Additionally, producers may be added to an email distribution list to stay in tune to any changes, notices and items of interest with regard to this law.  Anyone interested should send an email to Joe.Web@ncagr.gov and request to be added to the “swine ID distribution list”. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission can give details on trapping and/or hunting feral swine, which is legal for anyone with a hunting license.  For more information on this, please contact the NCWR Commission or visit http://www.ncwildlife.org/hunting/index.htm