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Show UDAF And BLM Agree On Policies For BLM-Impounded Livestock The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have agreed on procedures governing the gathering and impounding of livestock from federal range land. The agreement was reached following lengthy discussions regarding the BLM's impounding and attempted sale of cattle that were not removed by their owners from federal rangeland within the newly formed Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Monu-ment in Southern Utah. A Memorandum of Understanding Under-standing (MOU) was signed January 9 by UDAF Commissioner Cary G. Peterson and BLM State Director Direc-tor Sally Wisely. The agreement ensures that livestock owners are given adequate notice and due process regarding the impounding and sale of their animals. The agreement also establishes methods by which the State will provide the necessary certificates for livestock travel and for changing livestock ownership to the BLM. The agreement also covers the gathering and adoption of wild horses and burros from federal rangeland. "This agreement is needed so that livestock owners, the BLM and the Department of Agriculture and Food know the rules to live by," said Utah Commissioner of Agriculture and Food, Cary G. Peterson. "The agreement protects livestock owners' due process and it establishes a set of procedures that are based on long-standing state and federal law," he added. Under the agreement the BLM shall give reasonable notification to the county and state of any planned impoundment actions of unauthorized unauth-orized livestock. This will ensure proper local county involvement in the various phases of any impound action. The BLM shall provide the state with appropriate documenta- . tion that proper notifications have been served on owners of livestock. : " If impoundment occurs, the state ; ! will issue a brand inspection travel certificate for transport of im- pounded livestock to a final destination or holding facility if . " appropriate. This would occur to allow the cattle to be kept at a secure, humane facility where they would -. - ! be fed and cared for while giving the permittee a chance to redeem the livestock. The agreement also establishes es-tablishes specific procedures for obtaining brand inspection services. : "The UDAF has protected the due process that relates to an ; individual's property and it also has retained " all the authority, both ' statutory and regulatory, that the State ever had," said State Veterinarian Dr. Michael R. Marshall. "The UDAF has given BLM district managers a step-by-step procedure for inspection, (See BLM on page 5-A) BLM From Front Page transportation and selling of both permittee-owned and estray animals," he added. The agreement is intended to clarify the responsibilities "of livestock owners, the BLM and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food when it comes to dealing with trespassing animals on federal lands. Among the many provisions in the agreement, it establishes: Procedures for notifying livestock owners that. their animals are trespassing and must be removed from federal rangeland or could be impounded. Notice to owners that their trespassing livestock have been impounded A time frame for owners to redeem their impounded animals. Responsibilities of UDAF to issue brand inspection certificates Text of the entire cooperative agreement is available at the UDAF Internet web page at: www.ag. state. ut. us. |