The State Veterinarian of Alabama shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, the Governor of Alabama, and the President of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, or majority of them, from the list of qualified applicants who have passed the official examination and who have been certified to the aforesaid appointing authorities by the State Personnel Department. The State Veterinarian appointed under the provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of the Merit System, and his or her salary shall be fixed by the State Personnel Board, upon recommendation of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries with approval of the State Board of Agriculture and Industries, which salary shall be paid out of the appropriation provided by law for payment of salaries and expenses of the employees of the Department of Agriculture and Industries. The State Veterinarian appointed under this section shall be a graduate of a college of veterinary medicine, which institution has been approved and accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and by the federal Secretary of Agriculture. The State Veterinarian appointed under this section shall also be a licensed veterinarian and a member in good standing of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, and he or she shall exercise all the powers vested in the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in the administration and enforcement of the provisions of the state livestock laws relating to the care of livestock or the control of contagious and infectious diseases in livestock and rules promulgated thereunder.