Title
Receive an oral update from the Monterey County Health Department's Animal Services Division staff regarding the County's Rooster Keeping enforcement efforts in calendar year 2021.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive an oral update from the Monterey County Health Department's Animal Services Division staff regarding the County's Rooster Keeping enforcement efforts in calendar year 2021.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Monterey County Health Department, Animal Services Division staff will provide an oral presentation regarding its Rooster Keeping enforcement efforts in calendar year 2021.
On December 16, 2014, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved a county ordinance that defines a rooster keeping operation as one where five (5) or more roosters are kept on any single property within the unincorporated areas of Monterey County. On July 14, 2015, Monterey County Ordinance No. 5249 (Rooster Keeping Ordinance) went into effect, requiring permitting for rooster keeping operations where five (5) or more roosters are kept on any single property within the unincorporated areas of Monterey County. The purpose of this ordinance is to balance the legitimate interests of agricultural businesses and agricultural educational organizations, along with the prevention of rooster keeping that is unsanitary, environmentally damaging, inhumane, and conducive to illegal cockfighting. No rooster keeping operation can legally operate in the unincorporated areas of Monterey County without either a permit exemption or a permit.
Exemptions:
This ordinance does not affect those that have less than five (5) roosters on any single property, and for those who have five or more roosters, there are limited exemptions:
* Poultry Operation - A poultry operation is primarily a business that raises poultry for meat or eggs.
* Poultry Hobbyist - A poultry hobbyist is typically a member of an organization that promotes breeding of poultry fo...
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