2006 Minnesota Statutes

97A.105 GAME AND FUR FARMS.
    Subdivision 1. License requirements. (a) A person may breed and propagate fur-bearing
animals, game birds, bear, or mute swans only on privately owned or leased land and after
obtaining a license. Any of the permitted animals on a game farm may be sold to other licensed
game farms. "Privately owned or leased land" includes waters that are shallow or marshy, are
not actually navigable, and are not of substantial beneficial public use. Before an application for
a license is considered, the applicant must enclose the area to sufficiently confine the animals
to be raised in a manner approved by the commissioner. A license may be granted only if the
commissioner finds the application is made in good faith with intention to actually carry on the
business described in the application and the commissioner determines that the facilities are
adequate for the business.
(b) A person may purchase live game birds or their eggs without a license if the birds or
eggs, or birds hatched from the eggs, are released into the wild, consumed, or processed for
consumption within one year after they were purchased or hatched. This paragraph does not apply
to the purchase of migratory waterfowl or their eggs.
(c) A person may not introduce mute swans into the wild without a permit issued by the
commissioner.
    Subd. 2. Transfer of license. (a) A game or fur farm license is transferable with the transfer
of all or a portion of the title or leasehold of the land if:
(1) the land transferred complies with the license requirements;
(2) the land is used for the purposes of the license; and
(3) a verified written report of the existing and intended land use is made to the
commissioner, accompanied by a copy of deed, assignment, lease, or other instrument transferring
the corresponding title or leasehold in the enclosed land.
(b) A transfer of less than the whole interest in the license is not valid. Each bona fide partner
or associate in the ownership or operation of a game or fur farm must obtain a separate license.
    Subd. 3. Ownership of wild animals. All wild animals and their offspring, of the species
identified in the license, that are within the enclosure are the property of the game and fur
farm licensee.
    Subd. 3a.[Repealed, 2003 c 128 art 1 s 176]
    Subd. 3b.[Repealed, 2003 c 128 art 1 s 176]
    Subd. 4. Sale of live animals. (a) A sale of live animals from a licensed fur or game farm
is not valid unless the animals are delivered to the purchaser or they are identified and kept
separately.
(b) Live animals sold through auction or through a broker are considered to be sold by the
game farm licensee.
(c) The sale agreement or contract must be in writing. The licensee must notify a purchaser of
the death of an animal within 30 days and of the number of increase before July 20 of each year.
    Subd. 5. Sale of pelts. The commissioner shall prescribe:
(1) the manner that pelts and products of wild animals raised on fur or game farms may
be sold or transported; and
(2) the tags or seals to be affixed to the pelts and products.
    Subd. 6. Fox and mink. Fox and mink may not be bought or sold for breeding or propagating
unless they have been pen-bred for at least two generations.
    Subd. 7. Transportation of live beaver. Live beaver may not be transported without a
permit from the commissioner.
    Subd. 8. Penalty. A licensee that does not comply with a provision of this section subjects all
wild animals on the game or fur farm to confiscation.
    Subd. 9. Rules. The commissioner may adopt rules for:
(1) the issuance of game farm licenses;
(2) the inspection of game farm facilities;
(3) the acquisition and disposal of game farm animals; and
(4) record keeping and reporting by game farm licensees, including transactions handled
by auction or broker.
History: 1986 c 386 art 1 s 20; 1987 c 121 s 1; 1987 c 404 s 119; 1993 c 231 s 13,14; 1996
c 385 art 2 s 2; 2001 c 185 s 24,25; 2002 c 373 s 28,29; 2003 c 128 art 1 s 54