Title 3.2. Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food
Subtitle II. Boards, Councils, Foundations, and Commissions
Chapter 21. Sheep Industry Board
Chapter 21. Sheep Industry Board.
§ 3.2-2100. Definitions.As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Handler" means the operator of a stockyard, livestock dealership, slaughterhouse, packing plant, or livestock auction market, or any other person making a purchase from a sheep producer, at the point where the sheep is sold or traded.
"Sheep" means sheep or lambs of all ages.
The Sheep Industry Board, established by the passage of a referendum held pursuant to Chapter 691 of the 1995 Acts of Assembly, is continued within the Department.
The Sheep Industry Board shall consist of 12 members representing the sheep industry and industry support services. The Governor shall appoint 12 individuals from nominations submitted by the Virginia Sheep Producers Association, Virginia sheep and wool marketing organizations, or other Virginia farm organizations representing sheep producers, for terms of four years. One member shall represent the packing/processing/retailing segment of the industry, one shall represent the Virginia Livestock Markets Association, and one shall represent the purebred segment of the industry. The remaining nine members shall be appointed by the Governor as follows in accordance with § 3.2-2110, with no more than one member appointed per locality: three members who reside in the Southwest District; three members who reside in the Valley District; two members who reside in the Northern District; and one member who resides in the South Central District. In addition, the extension sheep specialist from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Commissioner shall serve as nonvoting members.
Each association or organization shall submit nominations for each available position before the expiration of the member's term for which the nomination or recommendation is being provided. If the organizations fail to provide the nominations, the Governor may appoint other nominees that meet the foregoing criteria.
1995, c. 691, §§ 3.1-1074, 3.1-1075; 1996, c. 169; 2004, c. 56; 2008, c. 860; 2011, cc. 691, 714; 2016, c. 565; 2022, cc. 576, 577.
Repealed by Acts 2016, c. 565, cl. 2.
A. The Sheep Industry Board shall be responsible for the promotion and economic development of the sheep industry in the Commonwealth. To accomplish this function the Sheep Industry Board is authorized to:
1. Provide funding for predator control;
2. Produce economic reports;
3. Develop a sheep industry directory;
4. Provide funding for educational programs;
5. Provide funding for research;
6. Engage in media liaison;
7. Collect and analyze data on the sheep industry;
8. Disseminate industry-related data;
9. Enter into contracts and agreements to accomplish the purposes of this chapter; and
10. Establish, administer, manage, and make expenditures from the Virginia Sheep Industry Promotion and Development Fund as provided in § 3.2-2111.
B. The Sheep Industry Board may increase the original assessment of 50 cents ($0.50) for each sheep sold within the Commonwealth no more than 10 cents ($0.10) per year, up to a maximum assessment of $1 per head.
C. The chairman of the Sheep Industry Board shall make a report at the annual meeting of the Sheep Industry Board including a statement of the total receipts and disbursements for the year, and shall file a copy of the report with the Commissioner.
The Board, upon petition by at least 10 percent of the members of the sheep industry who voted in the preceding referendum or as determined by the Commissioner, may provide for a referendum on the continuation of the Sheep Industry Board and the assessment. The cost of conducting such referendum shall be from funds paid into the Virginia Sheep Industry Promotion and Development Fund as established in § 3.2-2111. Such referendum shall be conducted in the manner provided in this chapter. The Board shall adopt regulations governing the conduct of referenda pursuant to § 3.2-112.
A. The Commissioner shall manage any referendum conducted under this chapter, and shall, under regulations adopted by the Board, arrange for the use of polling places, if necessary.
B. The Commissioner shall, at least 60 days before the date upon which a referendum is to be held, mail notice to the clerk of the circuit court in each locality where those eligible to vote in the referendum reside. The clerk of the circuit court shall post the notice and regulations on the front door or public bulletin board of the courthouse and certify the posting to the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall also give general notice of the referendum in a newspaper of general circulation in Richmond, Virginia, and shall send a notice of the referendum to a newspaper of general circulation in each area where members of the sheep industry reside, at least 60 days prior to the holding of any referendum under this chapter.
The notice shall contain the date, hours, voting places, and methods of voting in the referendum; the amount of assessment to be collected, means by which such assessment will be collected, and general purposes for how the assessments will be used; and the regulations adopted by the Board pursuant to § 3.2-112.
C. The Commissioner shall prepare and distribute in advance of the referendum all necessary ballots, certificates, and supplies required for the referendum.
D. The Commissioner shall within 10 days after the referendum, canvass and publicly declare the results of the referendum, and certify the same to the Governor and the Board.
The question to be printed on the ballots used in any referendum authorized in § 3.2-2105 on the continuation of the Sheep Industry Board and assessment shall be as follows:
"Do you favor the continuation of the Sheep Industry Board and the continuation of the levy of an assessment of up to $1 per head for all sheep sold within the Commonwealth?
_____ Yes
_____ No."
Each member of the Virginia sheep industry who has sold one or more sheep or 50 or more pounds of wool within the Commonwealth in the year preceding any referendum shall be eligible to vote in the referendum, provided that he certifies that he has conducted such sale. Any person who meets the requirements of this section shall be eligible to vote provided that they are a resident of the Commonwealth or qualified to do business in the Commonwealth. Any person who is not an individual shall vote by its authorized representative.
If the Governor finds the referendum in order and that at least a simple majority of those voting are in opposition to the continuation of Sheep Industry Board and the assessment for the purpose of conducting programs in market development, predator control, education, research, and promotion of the sheep industry, he shall so proclaim and upon such proclamation the Sheep Industry Board and the assessment shall be discontinued. If the Governor finds that at least a simple majority of those voting are in favor of the continuation of the Sheep Industry Board and the assessment, he shall not so proclaim.
The following districts are designated for the purposes of this chapter:
Southwest District: Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe Counties.
Valley District: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah Counties.
Northern District: Albemarle, Caroline, Clark, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Fredrick, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, King George, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties.
South Central District: Accomack, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Brunswick, Buckingham, Campbell, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Essex, Gloucester, Greensville, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, New Kent, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Richmond, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland, and York Counties; and the Cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.
1995, c. 691, § 3.1-1075; 1996, c. 169; 2004, c. 56; 2008, c. 860.
There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Virginia Sheep Industry Promotion and Development Fund, hereafter referred to as "the Fund." The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All assessments paid pursuant to § 3.2-2112 shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the Sheep Industry Board on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request by a duly authorized officer of the Sheep Industry Board.
The Auditor for Public Accounts shall audit all the accounts of the Sheep Industry Board as provided in § 30-133.
A. Every handler shall deduct the assessment authorized under this chapter from the proceeds of sale owed by him to the respective owners for all sheep sold in the Commonwealth. Any handler purchasing sheep in the Commonwealth for resale within 10 days shall be exempt from the assessment on the subsequent sale. The handler shall remit the assessment to the Tax Commissioner on or before the last day of the month following the end of each calendar quarter.
B. Every handler shall complete reports on forms furnished by the Tax Commissioner, submit such reports to the Tax Commissioner along with the assessments submitted pursuant to subsection A, and keep copies of the reports for a period of not less than three years from the time the report was produced. Each report shall include a statement of the number of sheep that have been handled; the amount of money that has been collected; and any other information deemed necessary by the Tax Commissioner to carry out his duties under this chapter. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 58.1-3, upon request, the Tax Commissioner is authorized to provide the Sheep Industry Board with a list of assessment payers and amounts paid.
C. Any assessment that is not paid when due shall be collected pursuant to § 3.2-1102.
Every handler shall keep a complete record of the number of sheep subject to payment bought by him for a period of not less than three years. Such records shall be open for inspection by the Tax Commissioner, and shall be established and maintained as required by the Tax Commissioner.
It is a Class 1 misdemeanor:
1. For any handler to fail to submit to the Tax Commissioner any report required in this chapter within 60 days from the time such report is required to be submitted.
2. For any handler knowingly to report falsely to the Tax Commissioner the number of taxable sheep handled by him during any period or to falsify the records.
