Arkansas Department of Agriculture launches Arkansas Animal at Large reporting form

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce the launch of the Arkansas Animal at Large online reporting form. This new reporting form was developed to implement “Act 594” which was enacted during the 2023 Regular Session of the Arkansas General Assembly and will provide a state-wide method of notification of lost livestock.

Both those who have found livestock and those who have lost livestock may post notifications with photographs and descriptions of the animals, the dates they were lost or found, and the county in which they were lost or found. The posted information will serve as the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s publicly accessible record of all livestock currently in the custody of impounders within the state.

“The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to offer this new resource to our state’s citizens,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “The Animal at Large reporting process gives agricultural producers a new tool to find lost livestock and ensure safe return.”

“Act 594” was sponsored by Senator Ben Gilmore and Representative Howard Beaty and had broad support from the Arkansas agriculture industry. In addition to providing better avenues for enforcement and resolution of disputes, “Act 594” updated, modified, and clarified 27 statutes and repealed 59 antiquated laws regarding livestock running at large. Prior to “Act 594,” many of the statutes regarding fencing and livestock running at large dated back to the 1800s, with some statutes not being substantially altered since the 1940s.