An Act To Amend Shelter Provisions To Accommodate Rotational Grazing of Livestock
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0320
Committee Amendment CA_A_H98 (House)
Amends: 7 MRSA §4015, 17 MRSA §1037

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " A" to H.P. 253, L.D. 320, Bill, "An Act To 
Amend Shelter Provisions To Accommodate Rotational Grazing of Livestock" 
Amend the bill by inserting before section 1 the following: 
'Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §4015, sub-§2, ~B, as amended by PL 2007, c. 439, §27, is 
further amended to read: 
B. Except as provided in subsections 5, 5-A and 6, shelter from inclement weather 
must be as follows. 
(1) An artificial shelter, with a minimum of 3 sides and a waterproof roof, 
appropriate to the local climatic conditions and for the species and breed of the 
animal must be provided as necessary for the health of the animal. 
(2) If a dog is tied or confined unattended outdoors under weather conditions that 
adversely affect the health of the dog, a shelter must be provided in accordance 
with subsection 6, paragraph A to accommodate the dog and protect it from the 
weather and, in particular, from severe cold. Inadequate shelter may be indicated 
by the shivering of the dog due to cold weather for a continuous period of 10 
minutes or by symptoms of frostbite or hypothermia. A metal barrel is not 
adequate shelter for a dog.' 
Amend the bill in section 2 by striking out all of subsection 5-A (page 1, lines 14 to 
in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'S-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 as long as the animals do not have 
injuries or infirmities that prevent them from accessing food and water and are in good 
body condition. For the purposes of this subsection, "rotational grazing system" means 
the practice of dividing up available pasture into multiple smaller areas during grazing 
. season when pasture is available to meet the dietary requirements of the animals and 
subsequently moving the animals from one area to another after a number of days or 
weeks as determined by forage production and quality.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A-" to H.P. 253, L.D. 320 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 2 the following: 
'Sec. 3. 17 MRSA §1037, sub-§2, ~B, as amended by PL 2007, c. 702, §49, is 
further amended to read: 
B. Except as provided in subsections 5, 5-A and 7, shelter from inclement weather 
must be provided according to this paragraph. 
(1) An artificial shelter, with a minimum of 3 sides and a waterproof roof, 
appropriate to the local climatic conditions for the species and breed of the 
animal must be provided as necessary for the health of the animal. 
(2) If a dog is tied or confined unattended outdoors under weather conditions that 
adversely affect the health of the dog, a shelter must be provided in accordance 
with subsection 7, paragraph A to accommodate the dog and protect it from the 
weather and, in particular, from severe cold. Inadequate shelter may be indicated 
by the shivering of the dog due to cold weather for a continuous period of 10 
minutes or by symptoms of frostbite or hypothermia. A metal barrel is not 
adequate shelter for a dog.' 
Amend the bill in section 4 by striking out all of subsection 5-A (page 1, lines 32 to 
in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'S-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 as long as the animals do not have 
injuries or infirmities that prevent them from accessing food and water and are in good 
body condition. For the purposes of this subsection, "rotational grazing system" means 
the practice of dividing up available pasture into mUltiple smaller areas during grazing 
season when pasture is available to meet the dietary requirements of the animals and 
subsequently moving the animals from one area to another after a number of days or 
weeks as determined by forage production and quality.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment clarifies that livestock kept under a rotational grazing system are 
exempt from shelter requirements only when the animals are in good body condition and 
physically able to access food and water. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT