Levy bill would help livestock producers

By Terry Murry on Monday, February 7th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

SALEM – Umatilla County recently approved more than $58,000 in reimbursements to livestock producers who suffered losses due to wolves last year. Umatilla County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Shafer said the state doesn’t provide nearly enough money to make those who suffer depredation whole.

“In fact, there are a lot of producers who didn’t get any reimbursements at all and the ones who did get reimbursed did not get reimbursed to the effect of the losses they saw,” Shafer said.

The commissioner is hoping that House Bill 4127, introduced by Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Echo), will help the producers. She said that in 2021, there were twice the number of ODFW-confirmed wolf depredations that were experienced in 2020.

“With each confirmed depredation, livestock producers spend thousands more in wolf-livestock conflict deterrence through employing more range riders, moving their livestock more frequently, and even night-penning with electric fencing,” Levy said. “Keeping the Wolf Compensation & Proactive Trust Fund solvent is paramount to helping deter wolf conflict as wolf populations in Oregon increase. With two-thirds of this fund used for non-lethal deterrence, the Wolf Compensation & Proactive Trust Fund is the best tool we have for protecting wolves and protecting livestock.”

Levy’s bill gets a public hearing before the House Agriculture, Land Use, and Water Committee this afternoon (Monday). If it is approved by the committee, it will go to the Joint Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.