(1) To enroll an animal in the program, a producer shall submit the required data to the department. The data shall be in an electronic form or in manuscript as required by the department. Certificate holders shall confirm the animal to be enrolled was born within the state of Montana, has continuously been in Montana, and remains in Montana in the physical possession of a certificate holder at the time of enrollment.

(2) Certified cattle may not be fed any products containing:

(a) food processing waste, restaurant food waste, dried poultry waste, dried poultry litter, dried ruminant waste, dried swine waste, undried processed animal waste products, or processed animal waste derivative as these products are defined on pages 326 and 334 through 336 of the 2005 "Official Publication of the Association of American Feed Control Officials Incorporated," published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials Incorporated. Copies may be obtained from the Association of American Feed Control Officials, P.O. Box 478, Oxford, IN 47971; or

(b) any material prohibited from use in ruminant livestock feeds pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations, 21 C.F.R. 589.2000, as amended April 1, 2004. Copies may be obtained from the Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 200201, Helena, MT 59620-0201; or

(c) feed products containing drugs, chemicals, and/or ionophores.

(3) To qualify as Montana certified natural beef cattle, the cattle must be finished on a ration that is natural feed containing no drugs, chemicals, ionophores, or animal by-products. Detailed records and invoices must be available for inspection to verify the duration of feeding and the ration content.

(4) To qualify as Montana certified natural grass-fed beef cattle, animals must be fed a feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning within Montana and raised in compliance with this program. The diet shall be derived solely from forage consisting of grass (annual and perennial), forbs (e.g., legumes, Brassica), browse, or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pregrain) state. Animals cannot be fed grain or grain byproducts and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. Hay, haylage, baleage, silage, crop residue without grain, and other roughage sources may also be included as acceptable feed sources. Routine mineral and vitamin supplementation may also be included in the feeding regimen. If incidental supplementation occurs due to inadvertent exposure to nonforage feedstuffs or to ensure the animal's well being at all times during adverse environmental or physical conditions, the producer must fully document (e.g., receipts, ingredients, and tear tags) the supplementation that occurs including the amount, the frequency, and the supplements provided. Detailed records and invoices must be available for inspection to verify the duration of feeding and the ration content.

(5) The certificate holder shall keep detailed records in compliance with ARM 4.18.104.

(6) To retain eligibility in the program, the transfer of certified cattle shall be made as follows:

(a) every certificate holder who transfers ownership or physical possession of enrolled cattle to another certificate holder shall warrant the cattle comply with all requirements of the program. The warranty shall be in writing on a form provided by the department. The warrant form shall be provided to the transferee before or at the time of transfer;

(b) the transfer of certified enrolled cattle from one certificate holder to another shall be reported to the department or its designees as follows:

(i) when enrolled cattle are transferred from a certificate holder to another certificate holder, the transferor shall report the transfer to the department before or at the time of the transfer;

(ii) any transfer, other than as expressly provided for in these rules, automatically terminates the enrollment of the animal in the program unless specifically exempted by the department.

(7) A certificate holder who enrolls cattle and raises them in compliance with program requirements may use the mark "Montana Certified Natural Beef," or "Montana Certified Natural Grass-fed Beef," in connection with qualifying cattle.