Allows livestock owners to purchase and possess rabies vaccine and to vaccinate their livestock against rabies during emergency rabies outbreak situations as determined by the commissioner of health; provides for the expiration and repeal of such provisions after two years; defines livestock for the purpose of this section.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1121
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
administration of rabies vaccine to livestock and providing for the
repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
2 section 89-a to read as follows:
3 § 89-a. Administration of rabies vaccine. (1) Notwithstanding any
4 other section of law, any livestock owner may directly purchase killed
5 rabies vaccine for the sole purpose of vaccinating livestock owned by
6 such livestock owner. Livestock vaccinated in such a manner without the
7 direct or supervisory participation of a veterinarian will not be
8 considered as vaccinated by the department of health, the department of
9 agriculture and markets, or any other department, agency, or agent of
10 the state for the purposes of matters involving state action or policy
11 towards livestock, including, but not limited to, quarantine in the case
12 of a rabies outbreak or local rabies emergency, and eligibility for
13 participation in the New York state fair or any county or local fair run
14 by any political subdivision of the state of New York. Livestock vacci-
15 nated pursuant to this section shall not be eligible for indemnification
16 for rabies as provided for in article six-A of this chapter if it is
17 determined that such vaccinations, conducted without the direct or
18 supervisory participation of a veterinarian, contributed to the damages
19 to the animal.
20 (2) For purposes of this section, the term "livestock" shall mean
21 cattle and horses and any species of livestock that are indicated on the
22 vaccine label or package insert. The term "livestock" shall not mean
23 dogs and cats. All killed rabies vaccines must be administered in
24 accordance with the specifications of the product label or package
25 insert.
26 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
27 deemed repealed 2 years after such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
A LBD01486-01-5
