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Animal welfare groups ask Gov.Kelly Ayotte to veto livestock cruelty bill.Staff from the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals secures some of the animals found in what officials called terrible conditions at a Lee farm in May 2024.Donna Lee-Woods, bottom center inset and owner of Hickory Nut Farm in Lee, testified before a Senate hearing last month, recalling in May 2024 when local police and NHSPCA officials took 54 of her 84 goats which led to the death of 22 of them.At the time, animal welfare officials said they found deplorable living condition for the livestock at that farm.Animal welfare agencies have called upon Gov.Kelly Ayotte to veto legislation (HB 1766) that’s attracted overwhelming bipartisan support from lawmakers and the farm lobby, both of which have insisted it was needed to ensure that owners got due process before their animals were seized.“Law enforcement agencies across the country have long relied on animal sheltering professionals to assist with cases that involve pets — a partnership that has supported police, communities and saved countless animals from harm,” said Bill Ketzer, senior director for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Eastern division.“House Bill 1766 would halt this critical partnership in New Hampshire, leaving local police with less support and resulting in more animals enduring prolonged suffering,” Ketzer added.But Rob Johnson, policy director with the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation, said animal welfare groups should not be the ones to find probable cause that livestock cruelty has occurred.“This should be a law enforcement determination,” Johnson said during a Senate hearing on the bill last month.“I was in complete shock.I could not think.I was scared and shaken.I had no idea what my rights were.I have never felt so bullied before,” Lee-Woods said at a Senate hearing last month.Officials offered to return 34 of the goats at a cost of $40,000, said Lee-Woods, adding that she’s still working on a lawsuit over the matter.At that time, Lee Police and NHSPCA officials said they found “unsafe and filthy” conditions and dead animals on the property.Currently, local police can work with any veterinarian to decide if animal cruelty has occurred.This bill would put the state veterinarian in charge, and only that official or a designee could investigate whether livestock should be removed.Under the measure, owners must be told they can have their livestock seen by a licensed vet of their choice and receive written notification of the reason for any seizure and how many animals were taken.If no animal cruelty criminal charges were brought within a week, the bill requires the animals be returned to the owner.“This is the livestock owner protection act, and it could put many animals in grave danger,” said Kurt Ehrenberg, state director of Humane World for Animals.Barbara Comtois, a Barnstead Republican and the bill’s prime sponsor, said under the bill, police could still take livestock without a warrant if there is found to be active suffering.“The authority to seize property — including livestock — should rest with law enforcement, not with private organizations or individuals acting outside direct governmental accountability,” Comtois wrote in a commentary for the Union Leader.This bill has no money in it.Early on, the state Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food estimated it may cost up to $200,000 a year for more staff for the state veterinarian to implement these changes.The bill has powerful allies from both political parties in the House and Senate.They managed to pass it through both chambers without a single recorded vote.During her first term, Ayotte has already won praise from animal welfare groups for her support of their cause.Hedging their bets against a possible veto by the governor, lawmakers have attached this to two other pending bills, including one supported by the pet shelter industry (HB 1709).What’s Next: The bill should get it to Ayotte’s desk in the coming weeks.Outlook: Unclear, but it’s likely lawmakers will try to send her at least one other bill with this proposal on it.