§ 36:628 — Offices; purposes and functions

§628. Offices; purposes and functions
A. The purposes for which the offices of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry
are created shall be as set forth in this Section.
B. Repealed by Acts 2009, No. 24, §7, eff. June 12, 2009.
C.(1) The office of agricultural and environmental sciences shall administer the
provisions of law relating to fertilizers, seeds, plant diseases, pesticides, horticulture, and
apiaries. The office shall perform technical services and laboratory functions for the farmers
of the state and shall perform functions designed to expand and improve seed certification;
increase production of rice and nursery stock; monitor and provide for the prevention,
control, and eradication of regulated and exotic crop pests or diseases endangering
Louisiana's agricultural, horticultural, and apiary industries; assure that products certified for
export are free from pests; oversee the qualifications and practices of persons engaged in the
green industry; sample pesticides, fertilizer, seed, and agricultural materials to assure that
they meet all requirements of law and regulation; assure the proper labeling, distribution,
storage, sale, offering for sale, and application of pesticides; license and regulate pesticide
applicators and pest control companies; regulate the treatment, storage, and disposal of
pesticide wastes; and perform other related functions, all in accordance with applicable law.
(2) The division of pesticide and environmental programs within the office of
agricultural and environmental sciences shall administer the provisions of law relating to the
treatment, storage, or disposal of pesticide wastes. The division shall coordinate programs
for pesticide waste control with the appropriate agencies or departments within the state and
federal government.
D. The office of agro-consumer services shall perform the functions of the state
relating to the inspection of dairy products, the regulation of weights and measures, the
licensing and inspection of statewide bonded warehouses, grain dealers, and cotton
merchants and other such functions which insure quality agricultural products for the
consumer, all in accordance with applicable law.
E. The office of animal health and food safety shall be responsible for the inspection
of meat, fruits, and vegetables, the control and eradication of infectious diseases that affect
the livestock and poultry industries of the state, the control of livestock theft and denying a
market for stolen cattle and horses in Louisiana, the regulation of the manufacturing and sale
of commercial feeds, and the enforcement of Louisiana-grown products and performance of
other related functions, all in accordance with applicable law.
F. The office of forestry, under the direction of the commissioner, shall perform the
functions of the state relating to the practice of forestry, in accordance with the policies
established by the forestry commission, including the administration and supervision of the
programs of the state for the protection, management, and preservation of this natural
resource; shall execute the state laws relating to forestry and reforestation; and shall
cooperate with the United States Forest Service in accordance with law.
G. The office of soil and water conservation, under the direction of the
commissioner, shall perform the functions of the state relating to soil and water conservation.
NOTE: See Acts 2009, No. 24, §§9-11 relative to transfer of certain
authority to the La. Agricultural Finance Authority (associated with abolition
of office of marketing and agro-economic development and State Market
Commission).

Legislative History

Added by Acts 1977, No. 83, §1, eff. June 22, 1977. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 497, §1; Acts 1981, No. 158, §2; Acts 1981, No. 391, §2; Acts 1986, No. 581, §2, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1988, No. 91, §1; Acts 2008, No. 920, §4, eff. July 14, 2008; Acts 2009, No. 24, §§3 and 7, eff. June 12, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 861, §17; Acts 2017, No. 52, §1; Acts 2020, No. 80, §1.