Chapter 6.04
ANIMALS GENERALLY

Sections:

6.04.010    Market cattle testing program.

6.04.020    Designating payments to the county Humane Society from the township dog fund.

6.04.010 Market cattle testing program.

A.    The purpose of this section is to help facilitate the operation and cooperation needed in making the market cattle testing program (MCT) effective. The MCT program is to replace the much more expensive and burdensome program of brucellosis and tuberculosis control that has been relied on in the past and that has been paid for by tax funds. This consisted of testing all eligible cattle in the county once every six years. The MCT program is a method of collecting blood for tests and includes the examination of the carcass of all slaughter animals for evidence of brucellosis or tuberculosis. By identification of the animals by a backtag, infected animals can be traced to the herd of origin where the entire herd will be tested. Negative animals will also be credited to the county of origin, until the entire state has qualified as a certified brucellosis-free area and as an accredited tuberculosis-free area. (M. bovis in cattle.)

B.    It is the responsibility of the herd owners and livestock dealers to allow an official backtag to be applied to all female bovine animals two years of age and over or any heifer showing udder development, and all bulls over six months of age that are going to slaughter. Cattle owners shall insist that this be done.

C.    Any public livestock marketing facility within the county shall identify and apply official tags to all bovine animals described in subsection B of this section. Identifying backtags will be supplied free of charge to the auction markets for the purpose of identifying all species of animals for their convenience.

D.    Slaughtering establishments within the county which buy identified animals from a market or which buy untagged animals direct shall collect and identify all blood samples from eligible animals as described in subsection A of this section and send them to the Purdue diagnostic laboratory for testing (all necessary equipment and postage will be supplied).

E.    Any livestock dealer purchasing untagged livestock within the county shall identify and apply official tags to all those bovine animals described in subsection B of this section unless a public livestock marketing facility agrees to provide this service to the dealer. The dealer will identify the source of each animal presented at the market.

F.    All persons required to identify animals in accordance with this section shall file reports of this identification on forms supplied by the State Board of Animal Health.

G.    When reactor animals are disclosed by the market cattle test, the herd of origin shall be tested within fifteen (15) days under the supervision of the State Board of Animal Health.

H.    If the owner fails to comply, a quarantine will be issued with attending restrictions and penalties.

(Prior code § 90.01)

6.04.020 Designating payments to the county Humane Society from the township dog fund.

A.    The Vanderburgh Humane Society, Inc. is designated to receive fifty cents ($.50) from each dog tax payment collected by the Vanderburgh County township assessors under IC 15-5-9-1.

B.    Pursuant to IC 15-5-9-8(e), the Vanderburgh Humane Society, Inc. shall use the funds disbursed to it by authority of this section only for the purpose of maintaining an animal shelter.

C.    Pursuant to IC 15-5-9-10(e), on the first Monday in March of each year the funds designated for use by the Vanderburgh Humane Society, Inc. shall be transferred from the township dog fund to the county treasurer, who shall deposit them in the county dog fund. On the second Monday in March of each year the county treasurer shall distribute to the Vanderburgh Humane Society, Inc. those funds designated by this section.

D.    As of the date of the ordinance codified in this section, the county auditor is directed to forward certified copies of the section to the State Board of Accounts, the Department of Revenue, and the State Board of Tax Commissioners.

(Prior code § 90.02)