Wild boar, feral swine target of proposed regulations

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A bill that would add prohibitions to wildlife law for wild boar and feral swine had its second hearing last week before the agriculture committee of the Ohio House of Representatives.
House Bill 503l would prohibit:
-Importing, transporting, or possessing wild boar or swine.
-Releasing wild boar or feral swine into the wild or expanding their range by introducing them to a new location.
-Purposely feeding wild boar of feral swine.
The bill requires someone who knows wild boar or feral swine are present on public or private property to report the information to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
It also establishes a process by which someone may immediately eradicate wild boar or swine on the person’s property without a hunting license if the person notifies the wildlife division and follows its instructions.
The annual license to feed treated garbage to swine is eliminated under the bill and feeding any garbage to swine is prohibited.
Bringing swine into Ohio that has been fed garbage or treated garbage is also prohibited.
The bill retains the current definition of garbage, which generally includes all waste material derived from the meat of any animal.
The definition of “treated garbage” which generally is edible garbage that has been heated and boiled according to certain specifications is revised in the bill to remove a reference to someone licensed to feed treated garbage to swine.
The director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture will have the authority to assess a civil penalty against a person who violates the prohibitions regarding garbage-fed swine.
Elizabeth Harsh, executive director of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, told the committee the association supports the bill because it could help reduce spreading of diseases to cattle.
“Feral swine are super spreaders of numerous diseases, serve as an efficient vector of multiple disease pathogens, and carry up to 40 parasites,” she said. “Besides being a transmitter of disease, they destroy crops, fields, and pastures wherever they appear, as well as, degrade the soil and water quality. Other states and European countries have been waging a war against feral swine for years.”
Other organizations giving proponent testimony to the committee were: Ohio Pork Council, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Poultry Association, and Ohio Dairy Producers.