An Act To Amend Shelter Provisions To Accommodate Rotational Grazing of Livestock
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0320
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: EDGECOMB
Amends: 7 MRSA §4015, 17 MRSA §1037

Legislative Document 
No. 320 
H.P. 253 
House of Representatives, February 7, 2011 
An Act To Amend Shelter Provisions To Accommodate Rotational 
Grazing of Livestock 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative EDGECOMB of Caribou. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §4015, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1999, c. 765, §10, is further 
amended to read: 
5.  Livestock.  Livestock must be provided with shelter suitable for the health of the 
animal.  Livestock Except as provided in subsection 5-A, livestock must have access to a 
constructed or natural shelter that is large enough to accommodate all livestock 
comfortably at one time.  The shelter should be well drained and protect the livestock 
from direct sun, rain, wind and other inclement weather.  Notwithstanding this 
subsection, shelter for equines must be provided in accordance with subsection 2, 
paragraph B, subparagraph (1).  For purposes of this subsection, "livestock" includes 
large game as defined in section 1341, subsection 5 kept at a licensed commercial large 
game shooting area as defined in section 1341, subsection 1. 
Sec. 2.  7 MRSA §4015, sub-§5-A is enacted to read: 
5-A.  Livestock maintained under a rotational grazing system.  Notwithstanding 
subsection 5, a person is not required to provide shelter for livestock while the animals 
are maintained under a rotational grazing system.  For the purposes of this subsection, 
"rotational grazing system" means the practice of dividing up available pasture into 
multiple smaller areas and subsequently moving the animals from one area to another 
after a number of days or weeks as determined by forage production.  
Sec. 3.  17 MRSA §1037, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1999, c. 765, §12, is further 
amended to read: 
5.  Livestock.  Livestock must be provided with shelter suitable for the health of the 
animal.  Livestock Except as provided in subsection 5-A, livestock must have access to a 
constructed or natural shelter that is large enough to accommodate all livestock 
comfortably at one time.  The shelter should be well drained and protect the livestock 
from direct sun, rain, wind and other inclement weather.  Notwithstanding this 
subsection, shelter for equines must be provided in accordance with subsection 2, 
paragraph B, subparagraph (1).  For purposes of this subsection, "livestock" includes 
large game as defined in Title 7, section 1341, subsection 5 kept at a licensed commercial 
large game shooting area as defined in Title 7, section 1341, subsection 1. 
Sec. 4.  17 MRSA §1037, sub-§5-A is enacted to read: 
5-A.  Livestock maintained under a rotational grazing system.  Notwithstanding 
subsection 5, a person is not required to provide shelter for livestock while the animals 
are maintained under a rotational grazing system.  For the purposes of this subsection, 
"rotational grazing system" means the practice of dividing up available pasture into 
multiple smaller areas and subsequently moving the animals from one area to another 
after a number of days or weeks as determined by forage production. 
SUMMARY 
This bill exempts livestock producers from certain shelter requirements for livestock 
while they are kept under a rotational grazing system.