State Sen. Judy Warnick is from Washington’s ag country and has worked tirelessly to promote and protect the state’s second largest industry.

Today the governor signed legislation sponsored by Warnick, Senate Bill 5439, to support livestock identification efforts. The soon-to-be law will remove fees and make other sustainability improvements to the program.

“The state’s livestock identification efforts are continually improving, and my proposal will help the sustainability and fairness of this important program,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “I think the program will operate better for producers and the public by removing unnecessary fees and making some administrative changes.”

Included in the legislation is language to remove the $20 call-out fee for inspection performed by veterinarians or field livestock inspectors. The bill also moves the required annual report date from September to November.

“This update to livestock identification will protect valuable assets for ranchers by providing needed funding for modernization. In addition, we can continue to build on the valuable work of disease traceability,” Warnick added.

The proposal was coincidentally signed into law during Beef Day at the Capitol Campus, a longstanding and popular advocacy effort by the cattle industry to educate policymakers while showcasing the culinary goods.