Chapter 95

95.55(2) (2) Application. A person shall register under this section using a form provided by the department. The form shall be accompanied by the applicable fees specified under sub. (3). Upon registration, the department shall issue the person a registration certificate.

95.55(3) (3) Registration fee; reinspection fee.

95.55(3)(a) (a) The department shall, by rule, specify the fee for registration under this section. The department may not require an individual who is eligible for the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44 to pay a fee for registration under this section.

95.55(3)(b) (b)

95.55(3)(b)1. 1. If the department reinspects the premises where farm-raised deer are kept because the department has found a violation of this chapter or rules promulgated under this chapter, the department shall charge the person registered under this section the reinspection fee specified under subd. 2.

95.55(3)(b)2. 2. The department shall specify the reinspection fee to be charged under subd. 1. by rule. The reinspection fee may not exceed the reasonable costs to reinspect the premises. The department may specify different reinspection fees for different premises.

95.55(3)(b)3. 3. A reinspection fee under this paragraph is payable when the reinspection is completed, and is due upon written demand from the department. The department may issue a demand for payment when it issues a registration renewal application form to the person registered to keep farm-raised deer under this section.

95.55(3c) (3c) Transfers.

95.55(3c)(a) (a) No person may transfer a registration certificate issued under this section or an ownership interest in a farm registered under this section except as provided in par. (b).

95.55(3c)(b) (b) An individual may transfer his or her registration certificate or his or her ownership interest in a farm registered under this section to a member of his or her immediate family.

95.55(3m) (3m) Authorization. A person who is registered under this section may do any of the following:

95.55(3m)(a) (a) Possess, propagate, purchase, sell, hunt, kill, and exhibit farm-raised deer.

95.55(3m)(b) (b) Hunt or sell or offer to sell the opportunity to hunt farm-raised deer that the person owns.

95.55(4) (4) Animal handling facilities. A person required to register under this section shall provide animal handling facilities to ensure the safety of farm-raised deer during handling and of the persons handling the farm-raised deer.

95.55(5) (5) Hunting.

95.55(5)(a) (a) A person hunting farm-raised deer is exempt from having any hunting approval issued under ch. 29 and is exempt from any closed season restrictions or bag limits established by the department of natural resources. In order to regulate the hunting of farm-raised deer, the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection may promulgate rules to establish tagging requirements or other methods for identifying dead farm-raised deer that have been legally hunted or killed and to impose other conditions or requirements regulating the hunting of farm-raised deer. Section 29.314 applies to the hunting of farm-raised deer.

95.55(5)(b) (b) No owner of farm-raised deer may sell, or offer to sell, the opportunity to hunt farm-raised deer unless the farm-raised deer to be hunted are confined in an area of 80 contiguous acres or more, except as provided in pars. (bg) and (br).

95.55(5)(bg) (bg) The area required under par. (b) may be less than 80 contiguous acres if all of the following applies:

95.55(5)(bg)1. 1. The owner subject to par. (b) had a license for a deer farm issued under s. 29.871, 1999 stats., that was in effect on December 31, 2002, and that authorized persons other than the licensee or the licensee’s employees to hunt deer.

95.55(5)(bg)2. 2. The owner was in compliance with the requirement to register with the department under this section beginning on January 1, 2003, and has been registered continuously since that date.

95.55(5)(bg)3. 3. The deer are confined in an area that is not less than the acreage subject to the deer farm license on December 31, 2002.

95.55(5)(bg)4. 4. Before January 1, 2003, the owner offered for sale the opportunity to hunt as authorized under the license.

95.55(5)(bg)5. 5. The owner submits to the department evidence that demonstrates that the owner meets the requirements of this paragraph, and the department verifies the evidence.

95.55(5)(bk) (bk) The evidence required under par. (bg) 5. that relates to par. (bg) 4. may include any of the following:

95.55(5)(bk)1. 1. A copy of the notice given by the owner to the department of natural resources before the taking of deer, as required under s. 29.871 (7), 1999 stats.

95.55(5)(bk)2. 2. The acknowledgement by the department of natural resources of the notice submitted by the owner before the taking of deer, as required under s. 29.871 (7), 1999 stats.

95.55(5)(bk)3. 3. An annual report submitted by the owner to the department of natural resources under s. 29.871 (12), 1999 stats.

95.55(5)(bk)4. 4. State or federal income tax records or sales tax records.

95.55(5)(bk)5. 5. A conditional use permit or other regulation imposed by a political subdivision.

95.55(5)(bk)6. 6. Receipts or other business records.

95.55(5)(bk)7. 7. Brochures, advertisements, Internet sites, or other promotional information.

95.55(5)(bm) (bm) An owner who wishes to demonstrate compliance with par. (bg) shall make application to the department no later than November 1, 2006.

95.55(5)(bn) (bn) Notwithstanding any authorization for hunting under this section, no person may do any of the following:

95.55(5)(bn)1. 1. Shoot or shoot at a farm-raised deer while hunting unless the person is in physical possession of the weapon.

95.55(5)(bn)2. 2. Provide or operate, or offer to provide or operate, a facility that allows a person the opportunity to hunt a farm-raised deer if the person who is hunting is in violation of subd. 1.

95.55(5)(br) (br) If an individual under this section to whom par. (bg) applies transfers his or her registration certificate or his or her ownership interest to a member of his or her immediate family under sub. (3c) (b), the area required under par. (b) may be less than 80 contiguous acres but may not be less than the acreage subject to the deer farm license on December 31, 2002.

95.55(5)(c) (c) The department of natural resources and the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection shall cooperate with each other with respect to the hunting of farm-raised deer.

95.55(6) (6) Rules.

95.55(6)(a) (a) The department shall promulgate rules to regulate persons who keep farm-raised deer. The rules shall establish disease testing requirements for bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease and may establish testing requirements for other diseases.

95.55(6)(b) (b) The rules promulgated under this subsection may include any of the following:

95.55(6)(b)1. 1. Standards to be followed by persons keeping farm-raised deer to prevent the spread of disease.

95.55(6)(b)2. 2. Provisions requiring that registration under this section be on an annual basis.

95.55(6)(b)3. 3. Exemptions from any annual registration requirements established under subd. 2.

95.55 History History: 1995 a. 79; 2001 a. 56; 2003 a. 179; 2005 a. 35, 359, 409; 2007 a. 97; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 209.

95.55 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 10 and 12, Wis. adm. code.

95.57 95.57 Poultry and farm-raised game birds; national poultry improvement program.

95.57(1) (1) Participation in program. The department may promulgate rules to require that any of the following originate from a flock of a person participating in the national poultry improvement plan under 9 CFR part 145:

95.57(1)(a) (a) Poultry, including their eggs, that are used for breeding purposes.

95.57(1)(b) (b) Farm-raised game birds, including their eggs, that are used for breeding purposes.

95.57(2) (2) Fees. The department shall promulgate a rule to set any fee that it imposes on a person for participation in the national poultry improvement plan.

95.57 History History: 2001 a. 56.

95.57 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 10 and 12, Wis. adm. code.

95.60 95.60 Importing fish; fish farms.

95.60(1) (1) In this section, “waters of the state” has the meaning given in s. 281.01 (18).

95.60(2) (2) 

95.60(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in sub. (9) and par. (e), no person may bring any fish or fish eggs into this state for the purpose of introduction into the waters of the state, of use as bait or of rearing in a fish farm without an annual permit issued by the department.

95.60(2)(b) (b) No person may bring any fish or fish eggs of the family salmonidae into this state for the purpose of introduction into the waters of the state unless the fish are certified, as provided in the rules promulgated under sub. (4s) (d), to be free of the diseases specified under sub. (4s) (d).

95.60(2)(c) (c) The department may require a person who is subject to par. (a) or (b) to notify the department before bringing fish or fish eggs into this state.

95.60(2)(e) (e) A person bringing fish or fish eggs from a fish farm in another state to a fish farm in this state is not required to have a permit under par. (a) if the person has a fish health certificate that covers the fish or fish eggs and that complies with the requirements for fish health certificates specified by the department by rule.

95.60(3) (3) The department may promulgate rules, applicable to persons who operate fish farms, that require any evidence of fish health that the department determines is necessary.

95.60(3m) (3m) A person who operates a fish farm shall annually register the fish farm with the department. The person registering the fish farm shall provide any evidence of fish health required under sub. (3) and shall identify the activities that will be engaged in, the species of fish that will be used, and the facilities that will be used on the fish farm.

95.60(4) (4) 

95.60(4)(a) (a) The department may inspect a fish farm upon initial registration under sub. (3m) and at any other time.

95.60(4)(b) (b) The department may inspect fish and fish eggs subject to subs. (2) and (3) and the rules under sub. (4s) (b) to ensure the health of the fish and fish eggs. The inspection may include removal of reasonable samples of the fish and fish eggs for biological examination.

95.60(4)(c) (c) Except as provided in par. (d), a person who operates a fish farm shall keep records on purchases, sales and production of fish and fish eggs and any other records required by the department by rule. The department may inspect these records upon request.

95.60(4)(d) (d) A person who operates a fish farm is not required to keep records on the sale of fish to an individual for the individual’s personal use. A person who buys fish under this paragraph may not introduce the fish into a public water body.

95.60(4m) (4m) The department shall maintain a registry of fish farms.

95.60(4s) (4s) The department shall do all of the following:

95.60(4s)(a) (a) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying requirements for the labeling and identification, in commerce, of fish reared in fish farms.

95.60(4s)(b) (b) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying fish health standards and requirements for certifying that fish meet those standards for the purpose of s. 29.736.

95.60(4s)(c) (c) Promulgate rules specifying the qualifications that a person who is not a veterinarian must satisfy in order to provide evidence of fish health.

95.60(4s)(d) (d) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying diseases and requirements for certifying that fish are free of those diseases for the purposes of sub. (2) (b).

95.60(4s)(e) (e) Promulgate rules establishing the period for which a record required under sub. (4) (c) must be retained.

95.60(5) (5) The department shall, by rule, specify the fees for permits, certificates, registration and inspections under this section, including any reinspection fees required under sub. (5m). The department may not require an individual who is eligible for the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44 to pay a fee for a permit under sub. (2) (a) or a registration under sub. (3m).

95.60(5m) (5m) 

95.60(5m)(a) (a) If the department reinspects a fish farm because the department has found a violation of this chapter or rules promulgated under this chapter, the department shall charge the fish farm operator the reinspection fee specified under par. (b).

95.60(5m)(b) (b) The department shall specify the reinspection fee to be charged under par. (a) by rule. The reinspection fee may not exceed the reasonable costs to reinspect the fish farm. The department may specify different reinspection fees for different fish farms.

95.60(5m)(c) (c) A reinspection fee under this subsection is payable when the reinspection is completed, and is due upon written demand from the department. The department may issue a demand for payment when it issues a registration renewal application form to the fish farm operator.

95.60(6) (6) No person, except the department of natural resources, may rear lake sturgeon in a fish farm.

95.60(7) (7) Any information kept by the department that identifies the type or number of fish or fish eggs bought, raised or sold by a privately owned fish farm or the supplier or purchaser of those fish or fish eggs is not subject to inspection or copying under s. 19.35 (1) except as the department determines is necessary to protect fish health or prevent the spread of disease.

95.60(8) (8) The department may provide training to veterinarians and other persons who issue fish health certificates for the purposes of this section. The department may charge fees to recover the cost of providing the training.

95.60(9) (9) 

95.60(9)(a) (a) Subsections (2) and (3m) do not apply to a person who places a net pen in a Great Lakes water body or a tributary of a Great Lakes water body under the authority of a general permit issued under s. 30.206 for the purpose described in s. 30.12 (3) (b).

95.60(9)(b) (b) After the date on which fish are placed in a net pen under the authority of a general permit issued under s. 30.206 for the purpose described in s. 30.12 (3) (b), the department’s authority to regulate fish farms under this section does not apply to the fish that are held in that net pen.

95.60 History History: 1997 a. 27, 237; 1999 a. 32; 2001 a. 16, 56; 2003 a. 136; 2005 a. 25; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 207, 209; 2013 a. 75.

95.60 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. ATCP 10 and 12, Wis. adm. code.

95.65 95.65 Intrastate transportation of white-tailed deer.

95.65(1) (1) In this section, “cervid” means a member of the family of animals that includes deer and moose.

95.65(2) (2) The department shall impose the same requirements on the intrastate transportation of white-tailed deer that it imposes on the intrastate transportation of other cervids.