(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has approved a bill to make it clear that when the State of Iowa seizes abandoned animals, the state owns the livestock. Last September, the state took over the care of one-point-three million chickens after the owners of Pure Prairie Poultry in Charles City declared bankruptcy. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says after several weeks, the State of Iowa went to the bankruptcy court with a plan to have the broiler chickens processed. “Those animals were getting bigger and we were going to miss their marketing window,” Naig said.

Other Pure Prairie Poultry creditors objected, arguing over ownership of the birds, and the chickens were euthanized.  “After we took custody of the animals we were unable to market them and recoup costs for the taxpayer because of some lien issues and title issues with the livestock,” Naig said. “What we wanted to do this legislative session was to ensure that if the State of Iowa has to step in that the taxpayers are first in line to recoup any costs or any revenue that’s generated then from the sale of the livestock.”

The bill ensures the state of Iowa will hold the ownership title to seized livestock. Naig says the state has long had the authority to get a court order to take custody of abandoned animals, but it’s Naig says rarely used. In the case of Pure Prairie Poultry, the State of Iowa spent two MILLION dollars on feed and about three-hundred thousand dollars to euthanize the chickens.