West Virginia Code
Article 9. Diseases Among Domestic Animals
§19-9-2. Duties and Powers of Commissioner

It shall be the duty of the commissioner, and he shall have authority:
(a) To prevent, suppress, control and eradicate any communicable diseases of animals or poultry;
(b) To make and enforce such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this article;
(c) To collect and disseminate information and statistics by means of circulars and bulletins on the prevalence and control of animal and poultry diseases and their treatment, the proper care and sanitation of stables and other buildings, so as to prevent the existence and spread of communicable diseases among such animals and poultry, and such other information relative thereto as will be of value to the stock industry of the state;
(d) To make or cause to be made any investigations he may deem advisable regarding the causes and methods of preventing, controlling and eradicating diseases of animals or poultry, and exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be proper or necessary to prevent the spread of, eradicate or control any communicable disease among animals or poultry, including the power to promulgate, issue, and enforce regulations prohibiting the feeding of garbage to swine unless said garbage has been thoroughly heated to a temperature of at least 212 degrees F for at least thirty minutes or treated in some other manner equally effective for the prevention of swine diseases and the protection of public health, such regulations not to apply to any individual who feeds only his own household garbage to swine which are raised for such individuals' own use;
(e) To prohibit the importation into this state of animals and poultry, when necessary to prevent the spread of disease;
(f) To cause general or special quarantine of premises and of animals and poultry to be established and maintained;
(g) To cause the disinfection of any premises;
(h) To cause the destruction of diseased animals, when such animals are deemed diseased as a result of physical examination or an approved test, and of infected personal property, and to regulate and prohibit the moving or transportation of such animals or property from one place to another in this state;
(i) To have charge of the enforcement of the provisions of this article and the laws of the state relating to diseases of animals and poultry, and the manufacture, preparation, storage, sale and offering for sale of the food and food products derived from diseased animals and poultry.

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