Virginia landowners could receive more financial relief after a bill that increases compensation for loss of livestock and poultry cleared the General Assembly.
Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland County, introduced SB 1000 to increase compensation during incidents when animals are injured or killed by a dog that came onto private property.
Reimbursement could be up to $1,000 per animal and $25 per fowl, according to the bill. This increases compensation from a former $750 cap per animal and $10 per fowl.
The person filing the claim will need to meet multiple requirements to receive compensation, according to the bill.
The incident must be reported to an animal control officer within 72 hours of discovery. Within 60 days, the claimant must submit evidence of the attack, the number of animals lost and why they believe a dog caused the damage.
The claimant must also have contacted and attempted legal action against the dog’s owner, if it is known, before pursuing compensation.
Once compensation has been paid, the local government may pursue legal action against the dog’s owner to recover the cost, according to the bill.
There is no fiscal impact at the state level because local governing bodies would handle the claims.
Virginia is one of two states that allow hunters access to private property to retrieve their hunting dogs, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation. Hunters can access private land to retrieve dogs, falcons, hawks or owls, as long as they do not carry firearms or bows and arrows onto the property, according to state code.
The bill may provide relief to many farmers in Virginia who worry about the safety of their livestock.
However, Jim Medeiros, a farmer in Dinwiddie County, thinks the increased compensation is not enough.
“Birds are valuable,” Medeiros said. “I mean, they’re quite valuable and losses are very painful when I can’t fill my egg orders because I lose birds to someone’s hobby. It’s much more than $25 a bird to me.”
Medeiros sued the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources in 2022 over the state’s “right to retrieve” law. The ruling did not find the law unconstitutional but determined that hunters do not have full access to private property, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation.
Medeiros’ farm, White Oak Meadows, continues to experience issues with dogs and the loss of poultry, he said. In one instance, he caught a dog that had killed several birds, but he couldn’t receive compensation because he had not caught the dog in the act, according to Medeiros.
“When I caught the dog it didn’t physically have the bird, but … [it was] pretty obvious,” Medeiros said. “Because I didn’t see that, I wasn’t eligible for compensation.”
Medeiros ultimately does not see the bill having much impact.
“I mean no one will pay now, so if the bill is more, if it costs them more, I think there would be even less incentive to pay,” Medeiros said.
A majority of the livestock and poultry damage in Virginia is caused by dogs and coyotes, according to a report from the Virginia Cooperative Extension.
“It’s an ongoing problem and it’s not just myself, but it’s a lot of other producers and it’s become significant in today’s economic realities,” Medeiros said. “It’s a significant issue.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has until March 24 to complete any action on the bill.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
