(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said this week that it will lower its proposed increases to fees related to items such as animal markets, animal dealers and animal trucker licenses as receiving large pushback to the change.
Much of that pushback came through the efforts of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin, which organized informational campaigns about the fee increases and AFP delivered hundreds of letters opposing the increases during the public comment portion of the new rulemaking led by AFP Grassroots Engagement Director Nicole Tyc.
One example of the DATCP changes was increasing a livestock market fee from $420 to $7,430. The trucker license fees went from $60 to $370 and animal dealer fees from $220 to $670.
The changes came following a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that blocked legislators from oversight on rulemaking with Gov. Tony Evers telling agencies to bypass having rules heard in committee and instead simply enact them.
DATCP did not present a new proposed fee schedule but said it would be “an inflationary adjustment to account for the roughly 17 years since the fees were last adjusted.”
“DATCP appreciates the many stakeholders and interested parties who engaged in this public comment process for proposed revisions to ATCP 10 and 12,” DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski said in a statement. “Once the public comment period closed, DATCP expeditiously reviewed the comments and began work on substantial modifications to the rules, including significantly reducing the proposed fees that fund these important animal health programs. Wisconsin farmers and businesses rely on these animal health programs, and it’s important that DATCP work with the industry to find a sustainable way to fully fund them.”
Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, introduced Senate Bill 622 to keep the fees the same as they were in December 2024 and take away DATCP’s power to establish fees for animal market licenses, animal dealer licenses, animal trucker licenses and animal transport vehicle registrations.
“Our rural and agricultural communities deserve better,” AFP-WI State Director Megan Novak said when the petitions were delivered. “These fee increases are yet another example of the Administration’s top-down approach that puts a burden on our neighbors, friends, and families. AFP-WI will continue to hold the Evers/Rodriguez Administration accountable to protect Wisconsin’s economy and the livelihoods of our hardest-working citizens.”
