Sec. 22-26f. State Veterinarian.
Sec. 22-26i. Maintenance, repair and improvement account.
Sec. 22-26m. Farmers' Crop Loss Reimbursement Grant Program. Established. Purpose. Parameters.
Sec. 22-26n. Agritourism personal injury or property damage liability. Immunity. Exceptions.
Sec. 22-26f. State Veterinarian. (a) There shall be a State Veterinarian who shall be an employee of the Department of Agriculture and shall serve as the state animal health official for the state. The Commissioner of Agriculture may designate one or more veterinarians to exercise all or part of the authority, powers and duties of the State Veterinarian. Any veterinarian designated by the commissioner pursuant to this subsection shall meet the requirements of subsection (b) of this section. Any designation of a veterinarian made pursuant to this subsection shall be utilized within existing resources and be consistent with the provisions of subsection (c) of section 5-235.
(b) The State Veterinarian shall possess and retain during employment a license to practice veterinary medicine in this state. The State Veterinarian shall possess and retain federal accreditation in this state through the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and shall have not less than three years experience in large animal practice.
(c) The State Veterinarian shall (1) act as the official state epidemiologist for animal and poultry diseases, (2) coordinate state and federal governmental agencies and livestock and poultry producers to control diseases, and (3) administer and guide the development and management of disease control and eradication programs performed by the department. The State Veterinarian shall act as liaison with other units in the department, other state agencies and other officials regarding policies concerning disease control and cruelty to animals and shall supervise the quarantine and disposal of animals and poultry condemned because of disease.
(d) The State Veterinarian may issue orders to prevent the spread of contagious and infectious diseases among animals and poultry and may protect the public from such diseases as may be transmissible to human beings, either directly or through the products of such animals.
(e) The State Veterinarian shall annually issue a list of reportable animal and avian diseases and reportable laboratory findings and amend such list as the State Veterinarian deems necessary. The State Veterinarian shall distribute such list as well as any necessary forms and instructions for use in the reporting of such diseases to each veterinarian licensed in this state and to each diagnostic laboratory that conducts tests on animals or birds in this state.
(P.A. 93-205; P.A. 01-12; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 08-13, S. 2; P.A. 23-184, S. 3; P.A. 25-152, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 01-12 made technical changes for the purpose of gender neutrality in Subsecs. (b) and (c) and added Subsec. (e) re annual list of reportable animal and avian diseases; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Department of Agriculture with 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; P.A. 08-13 amended Subsec. (b) to change State Veterinarian large animal practice experience requirement from 7 to 3 years, effective April 29, 2008; P.A. 23-184 amended Subsec. (a) to change reference from chief livestock health official to state animal health official and add provision re designation of 1 or more veterinarians to exercise authority of the State Veterinarian in the State Veterinarian's absence, effective June 28, 2023; P.A. 25-152 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision requiring any such designation being used within existing resources and consistent with the provisions of Sec. 5-235(c), effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 22-26i. Maintenance, repair and improvement account. (a) There is established a separate, nonlapsing account, known as the “maintenance, repair and improvement account”. All moneys collected from any rent paid by any person occupying or otherwise using any property owned by the Department of Agriculture, including houses or other buildings, shall be deposited into the account unless the Commissioner of Agriculture enters into a written agreement, signs an instrument or issues a license that specifically states otherwise. Said account may also receive moneys from private or public sources, including the federal government or a municipal government.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any moneys received by the Department of Agriculture pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited in the General Fund and credited to the maintenance, repair and improvement account. The account shall be available to the Commissioner of Agriculture for maintaining, making improvements to, erecting structures on or repairing any property owned by the department, including houses and other buildings. Nothing in this section shall prevent the commissioner from obtaining or using funds from sources other than the account for maintaining, making improvements to, erecting structures on or repairing any property owned by the department, including houses and other buildings.
(c) The commissioner shall annually report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations concerning the activities and status of the maintenance, repair and improvement account.
(P.A. 01-126, S. 1, 2; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e), (f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 25-110, S. 77.)
History: P.A. 01-126 effective July 1, 2001; 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; P.A. 25-110 amended Subsec. (a) to delete reference to General Fund and make technical changes, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 22-26m. Farmers' Crop Loss Reimbursement Grant Program. Established. Purpose. Parameters. (a) There is established the Farmers' Crop Loss Reimbursement Grant Program within the Department of Agriculture. The purpose of such program shall be to reimburse farmers in the state who incur crop loss attributable to significant acute weather events. The department shall establish the parameters of such grant program, including, but not limited to, (1) eligibility criteria for such farmers, (2) prioritization rules for the use of funds available to said department for such program, (3) maximum reimbursement amounts under such program, (4) designation of significant acute weather events that trigger eligibility for such reimbursement under the program, and (5) the application process for any such reimbursement request.
(b) Upon the development of the parameters of such grant program, the department shall post information concerning such program, including all such parameters, on the department's Internet web site.
(P.A. 25-152, S. 9.)
History: P.A. 25-152 effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 22-26n. Agritourism personal injury or property damage liability. Immunity. Exceptions. (a) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Agriculture” has the same meaning as provided in section 1-1;
(2) “Agritourism” means any agriculture-related educational, entertainment, historical, cultural or recreational activity, including, but not limited to, you-pick operations, corn mazes, hay rides or farm markets that are conducted on a farm which allows or invites members of the general public to observe or participate in such activity;
(3) “Agritourism provider” means any person who owns, operates, provides or sponsors an agritourism activity or an employee of such a person who engages in or provides agritourism activities, whether or not for a fee;
(4) “Farm” means land that is composed of tracts, lots or parcels that are devoted to agriculture;
(5) “Participant” means any individual, other than the agritourism provider providing such activity, who observes or participates in an agritourism activity; and
(6) “Risk inherent in an agritourism activity” means any danger or condition that is an integral part of an agritourism activity, including each of the following:
(A) The surface and subsurface conditions of land;
(B) The behavior or actions of wild animals not kept by or under the control of an agritourism provider;
(C) The behavior or actions of livestock or domestic animals, other than damage by dogs, as described in section 22-357;
(D) The ordinary dangers associated with land, structures, animals or equipment ordinarily used in agriculture or agritourism activities;
(E) The possibility of personal injury, property damage or contracting illness from proximity to, or physical contact with structures, equipment, animals, animal feed, farm chemicals or animal waste; or
(F) The possibility that a participant may act in a negligent manner, including by failing to follow instructions given by the agritourism provider or by failing to exercise reasonable care while engaging in the agritourism activity that may contribute to personal injury or property damage to such participant or another participant.
(b) In any civil action, an agritourism provider shall be immune from liability for any personal injury or property damage a participant sustains during an agritourism activity if the participant incurs personal injury or property damage as a result of a risk inherent in an agritourism activity.
(c) An agritourism provider shall not be immune from civil liability for harm sustained by a participant if any of the following applies:
(1) The agritourism provider acts negligently or with a wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of the participant;
(2) The agritourism provider purposefully causes personal injury or property damage to the participant; or
(3) The agritourism provider's actions or inactions constitute criminal conduct and cause personal injury or property damage to the participant.
(P.A. 25-152, S. 10.)
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