What's happening
This bill allows livestock owners in New York to directly purchase and administer rabies vaccines to their livestock without a veterinarian, but such animals won't be considered officially vaccinated for state purposes or eligible for certain protections.
Why it matters
Increases flexibility for livestock owners. by allowing them to buy and administer rabies vaccines themselves, potentially lowering costs and making it easier to vaccinate animals in rural or underserved areas.
Creates a two-tier vaccination status. Animals vaccinated without a veterinarian’s supervision will not be officially recognized as vaccinated by the state, which could limit their ability to participate in fairs, be exempt from quarantine, or receive state compensation if they contract rabies.
Places responsibility and risk on owners. If livestock vaccinated without a vet’s involvement gets rabies, owners may not be eligible for state indemnification (reimbursement for losses), especially if improper vaccination contributed to the animal’s illness.
Excludes pets and clarifies scope. The new rule applies only to livestock like cattle and horses (as well as any species listed on the vaccine label), and does not extend to dogs or cats, maintaining stricter controls over pet vaccination.
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Who cares
Livestock owners
The bill would let them directly purchase killed rabies vaccine for their own livestock, but vaccination without veterinary participation would not count for state purposes and could bar rabies indemnification if it contributed to animal damage.
Veterinarians
Their direct or supervisory participation would remain necessary for these vaccinations to count under state policy, including quarantine and fair eligibility decisions.
Department of Health and Department of Agriculture and Markets
They would not recognize livestock vaccinated without veterinary participation as vaccinated for state actions or policies.
State, county and local fair exhibitors
Owners vaccinating livestock without veterinary participation could not rely on those vaccinations to establish eligibility for the New York State Fair or fairs run by political subdivisions.
Headline styles
Let Farmers Buy Rabies Vaccine
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 111
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Reference changed to agriculture
- Referred to aging
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1121
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the administration of rabies vaccine to livestock and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 89-a to read as follows:
§ 89-a. Administration of rabies vaccine. (1) Notwithstanding any other section of law, any livestock owner may directly purchase killed rabies vaccine for the sole purpose of vaccinating livestock owned by such livestock owner. Livestock vaccinated in such a manner without the direct or supervisory participation of a veterinarian will not be considered as vaccinated by the department of health, the department of agriculture and markets, or any other department, agency, or agent of the state for the purposes of matters involving state action or policy towards livestock, including, but not limited to, quarantine in the case of a rabies outbreak or local rabies emergency, and eligibility for participation in the New York state fair or any county or local fair run by any political subdivision of the state of New York. Livestock vaccinated pursuant to this section shall not be eligible for indemnification for rabies as provided for in article six-A of this chapter if it is determined that such vaccinations, conducted without the direct or supervisory participation of a veterinarian, contributed to the damages to the animal.
(2) For purposes of this section, the term "livestock" shall mean cattle and horses and any species of livestock that are indicated on the vaccine label or package insert. The term "livestock" shall not mean dogs and cats. All killed rabies vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed 2 years after such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
A LBD01486-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.