A Tennessee bill, which should land on Gov. Phil Bredesen’s desk later this month, would consider artificial insemination a farm management practice, meaning that the state would no longer require veterinary supervision in order to artificially inseminate a mare as it does now.

According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette (www.t-g.com), the bill comes on the heels of the state health department notifying 72 individuals that they were violating state law by artificially inseminating other people’s horses without a veterinarian present. Fines for the offense for each of those individuals could be as much as $1,000 per year of violation.

The bill designates “artificial insemination of livestock as an accepted livestock management practice rather than veterinary medical service,” according to Sen. Jim Tracy.

In addition to this bill, the health department is seeking a separate bill to end civil penalties for those charged with performing artificial insemination and to refund penalties already paid for this.

Both bills have passed in the state Senate and the penalties bill is awaiting House approval. The artificial insemination bill was passed last month in the House, and the penalties bill has been favorably recommended by the Government Operations and Agriculture Committees