Agency Contact Information
Authority
The Livestock Loss Board was created in 2015. Statutory authority is found at A.R.S. §§17-491 through 17-493.
Function
The Livestock Loss Board (Board) was established to address damages to livestock operations caused by wolves and to administer a program to compensate for those losses. The Board is required to establish procedures to determine eligibility; determine compensation rates; conduct research and develop measures to prevent wolf depredation on livestock, and establish a process for a person to appeal Board decisions.
The Board has discretionary authority to: 1) compensate landowners, lessees or livestock operators for losses; 2) implement a pay-for-presence program to provide compensation for potential wolf depredation on private property; and 3) provide reimbursement for implementation of avoidance or non-lethal measures. The Board is also authorized to work with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, state and federal wildlife agencies and federal farm services agencies in the state to conduct investigations, verify wolf depredation on livestock and promote livestock compensation programs.
The Livestock Compensation Fund, consisting of federal monies, legislative appropriations, grants and donations, is administered by the Board to compensate livestock producers impacted by activity of wolves. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated, do not revert to the state general fund at the end of a fiscal year, and are exempt from lapsing.
An annual report outlining the number of applications for compensation, the total amount of monies awarded that year, and any recommendations is due by December 31 of each year. Copies are to be provided to the Governor, Legislature and Secretary of State.
History
Background
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill - P.L. 113–79) authorized the Livestock Indemnity Program to provide compensation for livestock deaths caused by attacks from animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves and avian predators.
The Mexican gray wolf was listed as endangered in 1976 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved the initial Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan in 1982. A revised recovery plan adopted in 2017 “…was developed with Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah; the Forest Service; and federal agencies in Mexico to enable recovery of the Mexican wolf…in a manner that minimizes effects on local communities, livestock production, native ungulate herds, and recreation.”
Session Laws
Laws 2015 Chapter 172 created the nine-member Livestock Loss Board, outlined its powers and duties, and established the Livestock Compensation Fund to provide compensation for livestock losses due to wolf depredation. The Board consists of the directors of the Department of Agriculture and the Arizona Game and Fish Department; three members who represent the livestock industry; two members who represent wildlife conservation or wildlife management; one member who is a livestock auction market owner and one faculty member from the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The seven appointed members serve four-year terms.
Laws 2020, Chapter 66 modified the powers and duties of the Board by expanding the use of monies in the Livestock Compensation Fund to include compensation to landowners, lessees or livestock operators who implement non-lethal avoidance measures designed to prevent wolf depredation on livestock.
Sources
- Arizona Revised Statutes §§17-491 et seq.
- Session Laws
- Laws 2015, Chapter 172
- Laws 2020, Chapter 66
State of Arizona Livestock Loss Board website
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mexican Wolf: Southwest Region Ecological Services
Mexican Wolf Depredation Compensation: July 20, 2016.