(1) Sections 54-7,105 to 54-7,109 shall be known and may be cited as the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act.

(2) The purpose of the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act is to require an exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer to obtain a permit from the department before conducting an exotic animal auction or exchange venue and to maintain records for animal disease tracking purposes. Exotic animals sold at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue are often foreign to the United States or to the State of Nebraska. These exotic animals may carry dangerous, infectious, contagious, or otherwise transmissible diseases, including foreign animal diseases, which could pose a threat to Nebraska's livestock health and the livestock industry.

For purposes of the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act:

(1) Accredited veterinarian has the same meaning as in section 54-2903;

(2) Animal has the same meaning as in section 54-2906;

(3) Animal welfare organization has the same meaning as in section 54-2503;

(4) Certificate of veterinary inspection means a legible document approved by the department, either paper copy or electronic, issued by an accredited veterinarian at the point of origin of an animal movement which records the (a) name and address of both consignor and consignee, (b) purpose of animal's movement, (c) destination in the state which includes the street address or enhanced-911 address of the premises, (d) age, breed, sex, and number of animals in the shipment, (e) description of the animals, (f) individual identification, when required, and (g) health examination date of the animals. The certificate of veterinary inspection is an acknowledgment by the accredited veterinarian of the apparent absence of any infectious, dangerous, contagious, or otherwise transmissible disease of any animal sold or offered for sale, purchased, bartered, or other change of ownership at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue;

(5) Change of ownership means the transfer within the State of Nebraska of possession or control of an animal allowed to be transferred through consignment, sale, purchase, barter, lease, exchange, trade, gift, or any other transfer of possession or control at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue;

(6) Dangerous disease has the same meaning as in section 54-2911;

(7) Department means the Department of Agriculture of the State of Nebraska;

(8) Domesticated cervine animal has the same meaning as in section 54-2914;

(9) Exotic animal means any animal which is not commonly sold through licensed livestock auction markets pursuant to the Livestock Auction Market Act. Such animals shall include, but not be limited to, miniature cattle (bovine), miniature horses, miniature donkeys, sheep (ovine), goats (caprine), alpacas (camelid), llamas (camelid), pot-bellied pigs (porcine), and small mammals, with the exception of cats of the Felis domesticus species and dogs of the Canis familiaris species. The term also includes birds and poultry. The term does not include beef and dairy cattle, calves, swine, bison, or domesticated cervine animals;

(10) Exotic animal auction or exchange venue means any event or location, other than a livestock auction market as defined in section 54-1158 or events by an animal welfare organization or at an animal welfare organization location, where (a) an exotic animal is consigned, purchased, sold, traded, bartered, given away, or otherwise transferred, (b) an offer to purchase an exotic animal is made, (c) an exotic animal is offered to be consigned, sold, traded, bartered, given away, or otherwise transferred, or (d) any other event or location where there is a change of ownership of an exotic animal;

(11) Exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer means a person in charge of organizing an exotic animal auction or exchange venue event, and may include any person who: (a) Arranges events for third parties to have private sales or trades of exotic animals; (b) organizes or coordinates exotic animal auctions or exchange venues; (c) leases out areas for exotic animal auctions or exchange venues; (d) provides or coordinates other similar arrangements involving exotic animals at retail establishments such as feed and supply stores, farm implement stores, and farm and ranch stores, which allow such sales in or on the premises; or (e) takes exotic animals for consignment on behalf of third parties;

(12) Officially identified means the application of an official identification device or method approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services; and

(13) Poultry has the same meaning as in section 54-2926.

(1) Each exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer shall apply for a permit and notify the department at least thirty days prior to the date on which the exotic animal auction or exchange venue is to be held. An applicant for a permit shall verify upon the application that the applicant has contracted the services of an accredited veterinarian to be present during the exotic animal auction or exchange venue as required under subsection (4) of section 54-7,108. Notification shall include the location, time, and dates of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue and the name and address of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer. Notification shall be made in writing or by facsimile transmission. If a livestock auction market holds an exotic animal auction or exchange venue through its licensed livestock auction market, such livestock auction market shall comply with the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act for purposes of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue.

(2) The department may deny an application for a permit if the application does not satisfy the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, for previous acts or omissions of the applicant in noncompliance with the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act, or upon a determination that the applicant is unable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a permittee under the act.

(3) No person shall conduct an exotic animal auction or exchange venue without a permit issued pursuant to this section.

(4) No change of ownership of bovine, camelid, caprine, ovine, or porcine animals may occur at private treaty on the premises where the exotic animal auction or exchange venue is being held for the twenty-four-hour period prior to commencement of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue, nor for twenty-four hours following such event, unless such animals have a certificate of veterinary inspection at change of ownership.

(1) An exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer shall maintain records for each exotic animal auction or exchange venue such organizer arranges, organizes, leases areas for, consigns, or otherwise coordinates at least five years after the date of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue. The records shall include:

(a) The name, address, and telephone number of the exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer;

(b) The name and address of all persons who purchased, sold, traded, bartered, gave away, or otherwise transferred an exotic animal at the exotic animal auction or exchange venue;

(c) The number of and species or type of each exotic animal purchased, sold, traded, bartered, given away, or otherwise transferred at the exotic animal auction or exchange venue;

(d) The date of purchase, sale, trade, barter, or other transfer of an exotic animal at the exotic animal auction or exchange venue; and

(e) When required by the Animal Health and Disease Control Act or the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act, a copy of the completed certificate of veterinary inspection for each exotic animal purchased, sold, traded, bartered, given away, or otherwise transferred at the exotic animal auction or exchange venue.

(2) An exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer shall, during all reasonable times, permit authorized employees and agents of the department to have access to and to copy any or all records relating to his or her exotic animal auction or exchange venue business.

(3) When necessary for the enforcement of the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act or any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to such act, the authorized employees and agents of the department may access the records required by this section.

(1) No beef or dairy cattle, calves, swine, bison, or domesticated cervine animals shall be, or offered to be, consigned, purchased, sold, bartered, traded, given away, or otherwise transferred at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue.

(2) An exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer shall contact the department if a particular animal cannot be readily identified as an animal that is prohibited from being consigned, purchased, sold, bartered, traded, given away, or otherwise transferred at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue under this section.

(3) No bovine, camelid, caprine, ovine, or porcine animal shall be, or be offered to be, consigned, purchased, sold, bartered, traded, given away, or otherwise transferred at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue unless, prior to a change of ownership or other transfer of the animal, a completed certificate of veterinary inspection for such animal is presented to the exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer. Such certificate of veterinary inspection shall be signed by an accredited veterinarian on the date of or no more than thirty days prior to the date the exotic animal auction or exchange venue is held.

(4) An exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer shall contract with an accredited veterinarian to be present during the exotic animal auction or exchange venue for visually inspecting such exotic animals and to issue necessary certificates of veterinary inspection for change of ownership when required by the Animal Health and Disease Control Act or the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act.

(5) All dairy goats imported into Nebraska shall have an official tuberculin test prior to import into Nebraska. All sheep and goats shall have official identification as required under the Animal Health and Disease Control Act.

(6) A copy of the certificate of veterinary inspection shall be submitted to the department by the exotic animal auction or exchange venue organizer within seven days from the date the exotic animal auction or exchange venue was held.

(7) Any bovine, camelid, caprine, ovine, or porcine animal which is not prohibited from transfer at an exotic animal auction or exchange venue shall be officially identified prior to change of ownership.

Compliance with the Exotic Animal Auction or Exchange Venue Act does not relieve a person of the requirement to comply with the provisions of sections 37-477 to 37-479.