Section 4-4-72. Indemnification of owners of livestock destroyed in eradication of diseases

   (a) The Commissioner is authorized, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, to indemnify the owner of livestock destroyed in eradicating any infectious or contagious disease, upon such basis and appraisal as the federal government prescribes; but in no event shall the state pay more than one-half of the indemnity and cost incident to the eradication.

(b) In the case of public stockyards, meat packing establishments, slaughterhouses, community sales, and licensed garbage feeders, the state shall not pay in participation with the United States Department of Agriculture more than one-third of the indemnity and cost incident to the eradication. However, the Commissioner may make indemnity payments inapplicable to garbage feeders if in any case he finds the feeding of garbage to be a source of such disease.

(c) Any person, firm, partnership, or corporation which shall violate any quarantine law or rule and regulation thereunder shall be ineligible for indemnity.

(d) The Commissioner is authorized, in the eradication of any infectious or contagious disease, to indemnify the owner of livestock destroyed in eradicating the disease in those instances in which the United States Department of Agriculture cannot participate in the payment of the indemnity.

(e) The limits on the amount of payment to be made by the state as set out in this Code section shall have no application to payments in excess of such limits authorized by law for the purpose of elimination of swine mycobacteriosis.

Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 480, § 22; Ga. L. 1957, p. 488, § 1; Ga. L. 1979, p. 1032, § 12.