§391. Establishment of bureau; appointment of chief; duties

There shall be in the Department of Agriculture a Bureau of Animal Industry. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to appoint a chief thereof, who shall be a competent veterinary surgeon, and whose duty it shall be to investigate and report upon the condition of the domestic animals and live poultry of the United States, their protection and use, and also inquire into and report the causes of contagious, infectious, and communicable diseases among them, and the means for the prevention and cure of the same, and to collect such information on these subjects as shall be valuable to the agricultural and commercial interests of the country.

(May 29, 1884, ch. 60, §1, 23 Stat. 31 ; July 14, 1890, ch. 707, 26 Stat. 288 ; Feb. 7, 1928, ch. 30, 45 Stat. 59 .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section is composed of part of section 1 of act May 29, 1884.

Section 1 of that act as originally enacted contained this further provision: "And the Commissioner of Agriculture is hereby authorized to employ a force sufficient for the purpose, not to exceed 20 persons at any one time." This provision was practically superseded by subsequent appropriations for an enlarged force.

Section 1 also contained a provision as to salary of the Chief of the Bureau and a clerk for said bureau, that has been omitted as obsolete. The salaries are now fixed under chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Amendments

1928-Joint Res. Feb. 7, 1928, inserted "and live poultry" after "domestic animals".

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Section 301 of 1947 Reorg. Plan No. 1, eff. July 1, 1947, 12 F.R. 4534, 61 Stat. 952, provided: "The functions of the following agencies of the Department of Agriculture, namely, the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Bureau of Dairy Industry, the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, the Office of Experiment Stations, and the Agricultural Research Center, together with the functions of the Agricultural Research Administrator, are transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture and shall be performed by the Secretary or, subject to his direction and control, by such officers and agencies of the Department of Agriculture as he may designate." For provisions concerning transfer of records, property, personnel, and funds, see full text of this Plan, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

The President's message, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, transmitting this Reorg. Plan to Congress pointed out that the Plan would make it possible to continue the consolidation of the agencies concerned in the Agricultural Research Administration which was affected on a temporary wartime basis by Ex. Ord. No. 9069, Feb. 23, 1942, 7 F.R. 1409, and to make further adjustments in the organization of agricultural research activities.

Functions of Bureau of Animal Industry which were transferred to Secretary of Agriculture were transferred to Agricultural Research Service under Secretary's memorandum 1320, supp. 4, of Nov. 2, 1953.

As of July 1, 1927, by order of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Packers and Stockyards administration was abolished, and the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, section 181 et seq. of this title, put under the control of the chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Authority formerly granted to Commissioner of Agriculture by section 1 of act of May 29, 1884, vested in Secretary of Agriculture by act July 14, 1890. See also sections 2202 and 2205 of this title.

Functions of Bureau of Animal Industry of Agricultural Research Administration concerned primarily with regulatory activities consolidated with other agencies into Food Distribution Administration, which was consolidated into War Food Administration, which was terminated and its functions transferred to Secretary of Agriculture, by Ex. Ord. No. 9577.