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AUSTIN, TX – Everyone in Texas who owns livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and honeybees in a farmed colony, must be aware of key changes to the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act, effective Jan. , according to an agricultural law expert at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The Texas Legislature passed and Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 365, which made important changes to the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act, said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension, agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.
Speaking at the recent Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course on the Texas A&M University campus, according to Kay Ledbetter of Texas A&M AgriLife, Lashmet said AgriLife Extension agents across the state received calls for more information on House Bill 365.
The Texas Farm Liability Act was originally passed in 1996, but a 2020 Texas Supreme Court case essentially ruled that the law did not apply to violations on farmed farms and ranches, Lashmet said.
The Texas Legislature came back with House Bill 365 to make sure it applies to these entities and clearly outlines all activities, types and situations that are covered. In addition to ensuring applicability to labor farms, the amendments also included bees as a recorded species and made it clear that the law also applies to injured employees and independent contractors.
Protection is not automatic
Previously, a sign was only required for farm animals, but farm and ranch owners and tenants must now also post a sign on or near their arena, enclosure, or stable for legal protection.
“While livestock owners have enjoyed the protection of the Farm Animal Liability Act for years, House Bill 365 made important changes to expand the scope of the law in response to a decision by the Texas Supreme Court last year,” she said. “There is a new requirement for the signage that manufacturers must be aware of and act accordingly.”
The required language has been slightly modified by the new draft law and must be as follows from September 1st:
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