I am posting this to start a conversation that we need to have. It is NOT intended to be combative, argumentative or political. It is simply intended to examine our industry’s issues. We all love raising deer and elk. I don’t think any of us want to be told we can’t. This industry has a lot of potential for breeders trying to succeed. Building quality proven herds takes time, energy and money. The last thing we want is to be forced out of business by a policy that has no science in its basis.
I would like to look at what we call the status quo. Some states have it better than others. Different states have different geography, politics, and culture that impact their regulations. Almost everyone has a battle in their state or in their region.
Someone asked me why we need the American Cervid Alliance (ACA). I said it is a collection of minds that want to work to defend our industry, seek solutions to make it better and raise funds to do so. That can entail reinforcing a principal under fire or seeking scientific evidence to prove our point. Some say let’s just wait until there is a battle and then go fight it…
I started thinking about the status quo and wondering how anyone would think it is okay…. This industry is full of double standards and injustices. I hear people complain about our regulations and others try to downplay it and pretend everything is fine. Well, let’s look at the status quo… Is it all okay or is it full of injustices and double standards? What else are we waiting for?
• Tennessee will not allow the breeding of whitetail deer “due to the fear of spreading CWD” BUT they will allow the importation of wild elk without meeting any testing requirements or monitoring….
• The USDA is so concerned about the spread and testing of CWD that they have suspended any funding and indemnification to continue the process….
• EHD kills thousands of farmed and wild whitetail deer every year and there is no federal funding to stop it…
• A new senate bill in Iowa seeks double fencing with 10’ requirements with $5,000 annual license fees…
• A farm in Iowa had CWD and is being forced to quarantine 700 whitetail deer WITHOUT proper indemnification…
• New York closes its borders to importing cervids from nearly every state in the union… How do their breeders expect to engage in commerce?
• Virginia only allows fallow deer farming, because of the fear of susceptible species such as whitetail deer and elk spreading the disease. Most recently, the Virginia Department of Game sanctioned the importation of wild elk to be released into the wild.
• Fish & Wildlife agencies want 100% CWD testing of the farmed cervids and captive hunted cervids but nationally they test less than 3% of the wild cervids that are harvest for a fee….
• There is no relief for farms that have over a dozen years of CWD free monitoring status… Where is the reward?? What’s the incentive?
• Elk and deer breeders must pay for their own CWD tests if they want to stay in the program. If they leave the program they can’t engage in commerce and sell trophy or breeding animals out of state… Unfunded mandate?
• In Summer 2012 there were over 250 industry comments posted in response to the National CWD rule comment section and few changes were implemented…..
• The long awaited federal rules states mandatory CWD testing for 12 months old instead of 16 months…
• The long awaited federal rules says no testing relief for slaughter animals for farms with high accreditation…
Again, this message is not blaming anyone. It is simply a voice asking for help and to quit kidding ourselves. The American Cervid Alliance is full of people that understand the policy changing process and are looking for support to start working on these issues. We need to work together!
Every industry has issues. The energy industry, the banking industry, healthcare, schools, everything -has to deal with regulations. We must know what is going on. With the trend of populations moving from rural to urban puts our industry at a disadvantage. State legislatures are proportioned by population. The agriculture voice is diminishing. We have to work hard to spread the word of our mission and one or two associations cannot do it alone.
With all these problems persisting as we speak I am thankful 40 men and women from all these different associations are working together. How can anyone oppose it and pretend everything is okay?
Please, visit www.americancervidalliance.org and consider spreading the word and helping this cause.
I would like to look at what we call the status quo. Some states have it better than others. Different states have different geography, politics, and culture that impact their regulations. Almost everyone has a battle in their state or in their region.
Someone asked me why we need the American Cervid Alliance (ACA). I said it is a collection of minds that want to work to defend our industry, seek solutions to make it better and raise funds to do so. That can entail reinforcing a principal under fire or seeking scientific evidence to prove our point. Some say let’s just wait until there is a battle and then go fight it…
I started thinking about the status quo and wondering how anyone would think it is okay…. This industry is full of double standards and injustices. I hear people complain about our regulations and others try to downplay it and pretend everything is fine. Well, let’s look at the status quo… Is it all okay or is it full of injustices and double standards? What else are we waiting for?
• Tennessee will not allow the breeding of whitetail deer “due to the fear of spreading CWD” BUT they will allow the importation of wild elk without meeting any testing requirements or monitoring….
• The USDA is so concerned about the spread and testing of CWD that they have suspended any funding and indemnification to continue the process….
• EHD kills thousands of farmed and wild whitetail deer every year and there is no federal funding to stop it…
• A new senate bill in Iowa seeks double fencing with 10’ requirements with $5,000 annual license fees…
• A farm in Iowa had CWD and is being forced to quarantine 700 whitetail deer WITHOUT proper indemnification…
• New York closes its borders to importing cervids from nearly every state in the union… How do their breeders expect to engage in commerce?
• Virginia only allows fallow deer farming, because of the fear of susceptible species such as whitetail deer and elk spreading the disease. Most recently, the Virginia Department of Game sanctioned the importation of wild elk to be released into the wild.
• Fish & Wildlife agencies want 100% CWD testing of the farmed cervids and captive hunted cervids but nationally they test less than 3% of the wild cervids that are harvest for a fee….
• There is no relief for farms that have over a dozen years of CWD free monitoring status… Where is the reward?? What’s the incentive?
• Elk and deer breeders must pay for their own CWD tests if they want to stay in the program. If they leave the program they can’t engage in commerce and sell trophy or breeding animals out of state… Unfunded mandate?
• In Summer 2012 there were over 250 industry comments posted in response to the National CWD rule comment section and few changes were implemented…..
• The long awaited federal rules states mandatory CWD testing for 12 months old instead of 16 months…
• The long awaited federal rules says no testing relief for slaughter animals for farms with high accreditation…
Again, this message is not blaming anyone. It is simply a voice asking for help and to quit kidding ourselves. The American Cervid Alliance is full of people that understand the policy changing process and are looking for support to start working on these issues. We need to work together!
Every industry has issues. The energy industry, the banking industry, healthcare, schools, everything -has to deal with regulations. We must know what is going on. With the trend of populations moving from rural to urban puts our industry at a disadvantage. State legislatures are proportioned by population. The agriculture voice is diminishing. We have to work hard to spread the word of our mission and one or two associations cannot do it alone.
With all these problems persisting as we speak I am thankful 40 men and women from all these different associations are working together. How can anyone oppose it and pretend everything is okay?
Please, visit www.americancervidalliance.org and consider spreading the word and helping this cause.
