Wyoming’s Rep. Chip Neiman urges SD ranchers to put pressure on officials regarding disease traceability concerns

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Wyoming Representative Chip Neiman’s House Bill 229, which passed in the Wyoming legislature, allows livestock owners to choose how they track their animals for disease traceability purposes.

Just last week, anthrax was confirmed in a group of cattle traveling through a South Dakota auction house. South Dakota State Veterinarian Beth Thompson was able to determine which animals were exposed, and immediate action was taken.

With Monday’s Livestock Producers Freedom Rally focusing on EID tracking, Neiman stressed the importance of getting a bill similar to his passed in South Dakota to better ensure the health of livestock in the region.

”It blows me away that South Dakota, a state that is so steeped in agriculture, would struggle to be able to get this passed. It’s proved to me how important it is to be able to protect the choices and the freedoms of the people and the state of Wyoming as they saw it. We needed that latitude to be able to identify our livestock the way we saw fit,” Neiman said.

Neiman encouraged everyone in attendance to talk with local officials to push for similar legislation in South Dakota, as he says he’s seen the positive effects his bill has had on the Cowboy State.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KOTA. All rights reserved.