One fee would’ve gone up by 1,700 percent
Wisconsin’s government is changing its approach to livestock fee increases after concern from members of the state’s ag community.
Earlier in the fall, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) proposed fee changes that would’ve affected livestock dealers, truckers, farmers, and others in the sector.
One proposal, for example, called for increasing fees associated with Class A animal markets from $420 to $7,430.
That represents an increase of about 1,700 percent.
Another change would have seen fees related to intermediate handling facilities, which hold livestock prior to processing, go from $140 to $1,360.
That’s an 871-percent increase.
Wisconsin hadn’t updated its livestock fee schedule since 2009, and proposed the changes were designed to cover program costs and budget gaps.
During a public comment period which ended Oct. 15, hundreds of stakeholders from the ag community provided feedback.
Groups like the Wisconsin Farm Bureau indicated the significant increases could put more pressure on ag businesses, and lead to farmers in border areas to do business outside of Wisconsin.
This pushback from industry forced Wisconsin’s ag department to change its proposals.
“The revised fee proposal will amount to an inflationary adjustment to account for the roughly 17 years since the fees were last adjusted to support these animal health programs,” the DATCP said in a Nov. 4 statement.
These fees could range from 40 to 50 cents per fee, up to a few hundred dollars, Secretary Randy Romanski told DATCP board members, KFIZ reported on Nov. 17.
State agriculture groups are pleased with the community effort.
The work of the public who commented, and legislators to find alternative measures, ensures a fair business environment for those in ag.
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, and others, thanked lawmakers “for listening to the concerns raised by our members and proposing solutions that address the impact these fee increases could have on farmers, sales barns, truckers and, ultimately, consumers,” the groups said in a Nov. 4 statement. “The introduction of two proposed bills and today’s proposed modification of the DATCP rule indicates that the concerns our members expressed were heard and taken seriously.”
The DATCP will post the updated fee structure on its website.