It’s the first guilty verdict for violating Wisconsin’s premises registration law.
Thirty-nine year old Patrick Monchilovich of northwestern Wisconsin will have to pay a $390 fine after declining again to register his premises. The Cumberland man pleaded no contest, and was found guilty Tuesday of violating Wisconsin’s premises registration law. Whether there will be further action is not yet determined. “You know, we don’t really know how we’re going to proceed on that one. I guess there’s always the possibility of additional charges but we don’t know.”
Donna Gilson with the state Ag Department says they’ll discuss the issue internally. Meanwhile, the majority of Wisconsin’s livestock producers have registered their premises, but there are a few hold-outs – citing anti-government or religious reasons. How will they be dealt with? “We will continue to enforce the law.”
Those refusing to comply are located in Pierce, Vernon, Price and Richland Counties. “We do have other cases where we have taken cases to the district attorneys asking them to file charges.”
Gilson says registration is not intended to punish farmers, but to protect the health of animals and humans, as well as the state’s economy in case of a disease outbreak. The 2005 law requires that any livestock be registered in a central database.
Wisconsin is one of two states that require premises identification by statute or regulation. Indiana is the other. Michigan has mandatory registration for cattle.
NOTE: Wisconsin has mandatory premises registration for pretty much every animal other than cats and dogs. Animals are listed in categories: bovines (cattle, bison), equine (horses, mules, donkeys), poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks), porcine (pigs), caprine (goats), ovine (sheep), fish, gamebirds, camelids (llamas, alpacas), cervids (deer, elk), ratites (ostriches, emus).