BILL NUMBER:S6825

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the environmental conservation
law, in relation to prohibiting the
sale, possession or transportation of feral pigs

PURPOSE:
This bill will aid the Department of Environmental Conservation in its
goal or removing sus scrofa (pl. sues scrofae) from the New York
state landscape by making the possession of any live feral pig
illegal, as well as forbid the sale or transportation of live feral
pigs.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the environmental conservation law,
adding a new section, § 11-0514 prohibiting the live possession, sale
or transport of wild pigs by any person or entity and imposes
criminal redress for violations of the law's provisions to a
misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, or a fine of five
hundred dollars, or both.

Section 2 addresses the effective date, allocating time to the
Department of Environmental Conservation to promulgate any
regulations necessary and authorizes regulatory activation in order
              

to achieve the full enforcement of the bill's provisions.

JUSTIFICATION:
Sus scrofa, (commonly known as feral pigs, feral hogs, wild boar, wild
hogs, razorbacks, Eurasian wild boar, and Russian wild boar) are
non-indigenous species of New York State, with a presence that poses
a serious threat to an individual's personal safety and the
agricultural economy.

The majority of these animals are Russian boars, the largest grow to
be in excess of 400 pounds, have razor sharp tusks, and react
aggressively towards people and companion animals and other wild life.

Sues scrofae are able to breed several times a year with yields
ranging from 2-12 offspring per litter enabling the animals to triple
their population within the span of one year. The population then
competes with other game and water fowl for hard mast (nuts and
acorns). These animals threaten the survival of other species by
invading and consuming ground nests and eggs, as well as being known
to kill fawns and domestic livestock.

The species carry and transmit a variety of serious diseases
including: swine brucellosis, E. can, trichinosis and pseudorabies.
Exposure to these diseases places both people and domestic livestock
at risk of infection.

The Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a goal of
complete removal of sues scrofae from the New York landscape. Budget
restraints have caused the department to cease their trapping and
killing of these animals and have instead relied upon an overall,
unlimited and non-regulated taking of sues scrofae. This legislation
will aid the department in its goal by codifying a prohibition of
possessing any live sus scrofa, as well as forbidding the live
imp0l1, sale, or transportation of the same within New York State.
This legislation does not codify any prohibition of the lifeless
taking of sues scrofae by any duly licensed individual, which is
consistent with the department's administration.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law.
Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
its effective date is authorized to be made on or before such date.