Wisconsin agriculture groups are raising alarms over a proposal that would sharply raise registration and inspection fees for animal markets, dealers, and truckers.
Jason Mugnaini, Executive Director for Government Relations with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, says the proposed increases are unprecedented. “This proposal is to massively increase fees for the programs and registration fees and inspection fees for animal markets, dealers and truckers, and some of these fees are increasing 17-hundred percent,” he said.
Under the plan, the annual fee for a Class A Animal Market would climb from $420 to $7,430. Mugnaini says the added costs would create pressure throughout the livestock supply chain. “Putting this on the backs of the entire industry and funding the entire program with just industry put fees. Not only puts a financial burden on the markets, dealers and truckers that are bringing animals to market, but also puts us wildly outside of the fees that are charged by our neighboring states. We anticipate that those fees will unavoidably be passed down to farmers. I don’t see any way that they wouldn’t be,” he said.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture is accepting public comments on the proposal until October 15.
