2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 22 - Agriculture. Domestic Animals › Chapter 433 - Diseases of Domestic Animals › Section 22-298. - Test for brucellosis. Branding. Quarantine.

(a) The Commissioner of Agriculture may require and provide for the drawing and collecting of blood samples for the control of brucellosis from goats over three months of age and herds of bovine animals, including male bovine animals, six months of age or over, but not including steers, and may at his discretion decide not to test heifers which have been officially calfhood vaccinated, until they have calved or are eighteen months of age. All blood samples shall be submitted to a laboratory approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture and all milk samples shall be submitted to a laboratory approved by said commissioner for examination and the results of such tests shall be reported by the laboratories to the commissioner in a manner prescribed by him. Upon receipt of the laboratory reports on any such tests, the commissioner shall inform the owner or agent and the veterinarian of the result thereof. When the commissioner has determined the condition of such herd by such tests, all animals reacting positively to any test for brucellosis shall be identified by branding with a hot iron on the left jaw and a metal number reactor tag in the left ear as approved by the commissioner. All such reactors shall be appraised, branded, tagged and slaughtered within fifteen days and the premises cleaned, disinfected and approved within thirty days after slaughter in order to qualify for indemnity under section 22-307. If the reaction of any animal to a test for brucellosis is suspicious, it may be identified and quarantined and shall not be disposed of without first obtaining written permission from the commissioner.
(b) The state shall not be liable for any damage incurred or alleged to have been incurred by any such test.
(c) No swine or goats used for breeding purposes shall be kept on the same premises as cattle unless such swine or goats are certified free from brucellosis. Any positive reactors shall be immediately slaughtered and the premises cleaned and disinfected.
(d) The drawing of blood samples for brucellosis tests shall be restricted to the State Veterinarian, veterinarians employed by the Department of Agriculture, veterinarians employed by the federal government and veterinarians licensed to practice in this state and assigned by the commissioner for that purpose.
(1949 Rev., S. 3328; 1955, S. 1785d; 1957, P.A. 36, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 477, S. 1; 637, S. 2; 1961, P.A. 67; 1967, P.A. 215; 1969, P.A. 104, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 5; 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 77-267, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-10, S. 8, 20; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e), (f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: 1959 acts deleted provisions re herd owners' requests for brucellosis testing, allowing instead that commissioner may require such tests, increased age of heifers before testing from 24 to 30 months, required submission of milk samples to state department of health, specified that brand on afflicted animals be placed on left jaw and that left ear have metal reflector tag, required that premises where afflicted animals have been kept be cleaned, disinfected and approved within 30 days of their slaughter as qualification for indemnity and later replaced commissioner of agriculture with commissioner of agriculture, conservation and natural resources; 1961 act replaced commissioner of agriculture, conservation and natural resources with commissioner of agriculture and natural resources; 1967 act made testing mandatory rather than optional, rephrased exemption re steers and other specially designated classes of animals to specifically include male bovines, 6 months or older except steers and reduced age for which postponement of testing for heifers applies from 30 to 24 months; 1969 act reduced age applicable to heifers to 18 months and replaced reference to Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station laboratory and to department of health laboratory with reference to laboratory approved by commissioner; 1971 acts replaced commissioner of agriculture and natural resources with commissioner of agriculture and added reference in Subsec. (d) to veterinarians employed by state department of agriculture; P.A. 77-267 made testing provisions applicable to goats over 3 months old; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-10 amended Subsec. (a) to make commissioner's duty under this section a discretionary power; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner and Department of Agriculture with Commissioner and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.
See Sec. 22-288a re procedure for condemnation of herd and compensation of owner.