§ 762. License; fee
(a) A person shall not carry on the business of a livestock dealer, packer, or transporter
without first obtaining a license from the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Before the issuance of each applicable license, a person shall file an application
on Agency-provided forms with the Secretary. Each application shall be accompanied
by a fee of $175.00 for livestock dealers and packers and $100.00 for livestock transporters.
(b) The Secretary may deny any application for a livestock dealer, packer, or transporter
license, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, whenever the applicant is
a person or a representative of a person who has had a livestock dealer, packer, or
transporter license suspended or revoked by any state, including Vermont, or any foreign
country during the preceding five years or who has been convicted of violating statutes,
rules, or regulations of any state or the federal government pertaining to the sale
or transportation of livestock or the control of livestock disease. The applicant
shall be informed of any denial by letter, which shall include the specific reasons
for the denial. The applicant shall have 15 days in which to petition the Secretary
for reconsideration. The petition shall be submitted in writing, and the Secretary
in the Secretary’s discretion may hold a further hearing on the petition for reconsideration.
Thereafter, the Secretary shall issue or deny the license and shall inform the applicant
in writing of the Secretary’s decision and the reasons for the decision.
(c) The Livestock Special Fund is established under and shall be administered pursuant
to 32 V.S.A. chapter 7, subchapter 5. All funds received under this section shall
be deposited in the Livestock Special Fund for use by the Agency for administration
of livestock programs.
(d) The Secretary may require a person to obtain a license as a livestock dealer under
this section when the Secretary, in his or her discretion, determines that a person
is buying, selling, or transporting livestock or taking other action in a manner intended
to circumvent the requirements of this section. (Amended 1959, No. 91, § 2, eff. April 7, 1959; 1975, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 1981, No. 8, eff. March 20, 1981; 1989, No. 257 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 1995, No. 186 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. May 22, 1996; 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2013, No. 72, § 18; 2015, No. 149 (Adj. Sess.), § 9; 2017, No. 30, § 1; 2021, No. 47, § 3; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 86, eff. July 1, 2022; 2023, No. 141 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. July 1, 2024.)