Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 91 - STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE BLOOD TESTING OF CATTLE FOR BANG'S DISEASE.

WHEREAS, a Federal appropriation has been provided for the payment of indemnity, not to exceed twenty dollars ($20.00) for any grade animal of fifty dollars ($50.00) for any registered pure bred animal, on cattle which react to the agglutination test for Bang's Disease, and the State Board of Agriculture has materially increased the testing of cattle for Bang's Disease, in order that the reactors might be eligible for Federal indemnity, and as many cattle owners throughout the State have already placed their herds under this State-Federal supervision, and, because of the fact that the Boards of Health and milk stations are requiring or considering requiring the Bang's Disease test on cattle furnishing raw milk, many more herd owners have requested this supervision, and as the United States Bureau of Animal Industry limits the number of tests on each herd for which Federal indemnity will be paid to two (2) tests, and as the brunt of the expense has already been borne by the Federal Department in paying the indemnity on reactors to the first two tests, on which about seventy-five percent (75%) of all the infected animals may be expected to be eliminated, it becomes necessary for the State Board of Agriculture to continue this service to cattle owners of the State, in order to eradicate Bang's Disease and enable them to obtain accredited herds; or, if no further indemnities can be paid for reacting cattle, to lose the advantage of the work already done, in that many herd owners will not be able or willing to continue the testing if their reactors are not eligible for indemnity, therefore:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met:

Section 1. That, when a cattle owner in Delaware who has already placed his herd under State-Federal supervision, has complied with the requirements necessary to control and eradicate Bang's Disease from his herd, and has received the number of tests on which the Federal indemnity may be paid, the State Board of Agriculture is hereby authorized and empowered to continue the testing of such herds, and to pay a State indemnity, in the same amount as the Federal indemnity; that is, not exceeding twenty dollars ($20,.00) for any grade animal or fifty dollars ($50.00) for any registered pure bred animal, this indemnity to be paid from the fund for the Eradication of. Bovine Tuberculosis, so long as the appropriation for this purpose will bear the added expense of the Eradication of Bang's Disease without curtailing the original purpose for which this appropriation was provided; that is, the Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis.

Section 2. That, should the Federal appropriation for the payment of indemnity for animals reacting to the agglutination test for Bang's Disease at any future date be discontinued, and the requirements of the Boards of Health and the milk stations necessitate the testing of cattle for Bang's Disease in order for the owners to find a market for their milk, the State Board of Agriculture shall be authorized and empowered, to such extent as the appropriation for the Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis permits without curtailing the work of bovine tuberculosis eradication and the testing for Bang's Disease of the herds already under ,supervision, to take under supervision such new herds as the owners request, and to pay, beginning with the original test and continuing so long as the herd remains under State Supervision, indemnity for Bang's Disease reactors, in the same amount as the Federal indemnity; that is, not exceeding twenty dollars ($20.00) for any grade animal or fifty dollars ($50.00) for any registered pure bred animal.

Approved March 6, 1935.