An Act Regarding the Slaughter of Animals
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0057
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: PIEH, MacDONALD, SMITH, SOCTOMAH
Amends: 7 MRSA §306-A, 22 MRSA §2521

Legislative Document 
No. 57 
H.P.55 
House of Representatives, January 9,2007 
An Act Regarding the Slaughter of Animals 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative PIEH of Bremen. 
17/~/J1.~ 
Mll..LICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: MacDONALD of Boothbay, SMITH of Monmouth, 
SOCTOMAH of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Senator: SA V AGE of Knox. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §306-A, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 72, §5, is amended to read: 
§306-A. Agricultural Development Fund 
1. 
Agricultural Development Fund. 
The commissioner shall establish an 
agricultural development fund to accelerate new market development, adoption of 
advantageous technologies and promotion of state agricultural products by state 
producers and to facilitate compliance with Title 22, section 2521 by commercial 
slaughterhouses and custom slaughterhouses as defined in Title 22, section 2511. 
2. Fund operation. The commissioner shall utilize the agricultural development 
fund under subsection 1 to: 
A. 
Provide grants to individuals, firms or organizations to conduct market research 
or to undertake market promotion activities for the purpose of expanding existing 
markets and developing new markets for state agricultural products; aR6 
B. 
Test and demonstrate new technologies related to the production, storage and 
processing of state agricultural commodities~ ; and 
C. 
Provide grants to commercial slaughterhouses and custom slaughterhouses to 
modifY their facilities to comply with Title 22, section 2521. 
3. Rulemaking. The commissioner shall establish, by rule, in a manner consistent 
with Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A 2-A criteria for the allocation of grant money, 
application requirements consistent with the provisions of this section, a schedule for 
accepting and reviewing applications, reporting requirements on grant expenditures and 
project results and any other administrative requirements necessary for the efficient 
implementation of this program. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine 
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A 2-A. The commissioner 
is guided by the following criteria: 
A. 
Applications may be submitted by individuals, finns or organizations; 
B. 
At least 25% of the total cost of any project must be funded by the applicant or 
applicants and at least 10% of the total cost must be funded from nonpublic sources. 
A single grant may not exceed 20% of the total funds available to be granted in a 
given year; however, in no case maya single grant exceed $30,000; 
C. 
Infonnation relative to market research or development activities provided to the 
commissioner prior to formal application, included in grant applications or provided 
to the commissioner to fulfill reporting requirements is confidential information and 
may not be publicly disclosed by the commissioner as long as: 
(1) The person to whom the information belongs or pertains has requested that 
certain information be designated as confidential; and 
(2) The commissioner has determined that the infonnation gives the person 
making the request opportunity to obtain business or competitive advantage over 
another person who does not have access to the information or will result in loss 
• 
of business or other significant detriment to the person making the request if 
access is provided to others; and 
D. 
When possible, the commissioner shall award grants to applicants representing 
diverse agricultural enterprises and geographic areas of the State. 
4. 
Advisory committee. 
The commissioner shall establish the Agricultural 
Development Committee to evaluate market and production development grant 
applications and review project results. 
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2521, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 777, §l, is amended by adding 
at the end a new paragraph to read: 
Beginning January 1, 2009, the slaughtering of livestock or presence of dead 
livestock within sight of another livestock animal is prohibited in commercial 
slaughterhouses and custom slaughterhouses. 
Sec. 3. Priority in awarding grants from the agricultural development 
fund. Notwithstanding criteria established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 7, section 
306-A, subsection 3 and rules adopted in accordance with that subsection, for the 2 grant 
cycles of the agricultural development fund under that section following enactment of this 
Act, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall give priority to 
applicants seeking funds to modify slaughterhouse facilities so that dead animals and the 
slaughter of animals are not visible to other livestock. 
SUMMARY 
This bill enacts a prohibition on slaughtering livestock in sight of other livestock. 
This prohibition becomes effective January 1, 2009 and applies to custom and 
commercial slaughterhouses. The bill also amends the statutes governing the distribution 
of grants from the agricultural development fund to specify that the fund may be used to 
modify slaughterhouse facilities to comply with statutory provisions for humane 
slaughter. 
The bill also directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural 
Resources to give priority in the next 2 grant cycles to applicants proposing to modify 
slaughterhouses to comply with the prohibition.