Cervid Industry Unites To Set Direction for CWD Reform

Rhonda Brakke said:

David,



Your are correct, which is why I posted Tim's link from 2002. The industry needs to develop a united voice and strategy. Tim knows from our phone conversation, my intentions were not a "poke" at him. He was not the only person who made the same suggestions back in 2002 when all heck broke loose in Wisconsin, however, Tim's stood stronger than most. Ten years later, states are signing up for a 10-year-old Rule and working on Standards to address issues in the Rule.



I am hopeful that the working group will get the real issues addressed and changed in the Standards. If not, industry will be forced into situations very similar to ours here in Iowa. Unless, you are lucky enough to have a state that does not require you to test your animals.



No, I would not have chosen this path, I am not a born leader. However, CWD landed right in the middle of my operation. I, too, have relied on industry leaders to handle the politics and policies for our industry.



I may have been forced to find my voice, but I am forever greatful for all the friends who have given me strength and support since CWD landed on my farm.

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Rhonda,



None of us can change the past but we can make a difference now that will impact the future for this industry. Thanks for speaking out now so that others may not have to suffer the way that you have.

Autry said:

Rhonda,



None of us can change the past but we can make a difference now that will impact the future for this industry. Thanks for speaking out now so that others may not have to suffer the way that you have.

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Thanks, David. We have been invited to the Capitol one more time on Tuesday. Because there have been so many anti-deer industry and CWD hype and hysteria in the media, we aren't holding our breath.



We have a lot of support, but not expecting any miracles either. At least we can say we did everything possible to avoid this situation. Again, fingers crossed.



Thank you for responding.

The CWD Rule will quarantine you for five years, the standards will quarantine you for five years plus your ground, requiring you to maintain your fence for five years.



I have posted pictures on my profile page of the lodge we custom built in 2011. All taken away with one phone from the DNR on July 28, 2012.



If we don't get the changes needed, we all lose. Not even wildlife wins, as CWD will continue to spread regardless if they destroy my animals or not.

Thanks Rhonda for saying what I have been saying but has not been heard. The standards must fix a bad rule or we get screwed. States like Oklahoma would be fine for a while but it would eventually ruin us as well. States like Minnesota would be hurt the most because of their lack of hunting ranch's. In Oklahoma we could drop the program and sell to hunt ranch's. Hunt ranch's in Oklahoma would suffer because we could not supply the stocker bucks we need. So come on working group.

Group,



Please go to my profile page by clicking on my name. There is a folder names Rule vs. Standards. The page that I have scanned is from the Rule. The Rule does not require perimeter fencing nor does is quarantine your ground for five years.



It is very important that you all understand the Standards Document requires the ground to be quarantined for five years after depopulation, following the required decontamination, and forces you to maintain your perimeter fence for five years.



There is also wording in the Standards that will not allow movement onto a premise that has been exposed to CWD. This would put hunting preserves out of business. It will not matter if your hunting preserve is in the monitoring program or not. The Department of Ag has the right to quarantine any animals for an infectious and contagious disease. Our preserve was under Wildlife jurisdiction, but the Ag Department served the quarantine and we were not in the monitoring program. We are out of business.



We have asked for many, many changes to the very flawed Standards Document. We all know now from our trip to Washington, we are going to get the Standards Document and it is going to public comment. Many of you may not know how different the Rule came back after public comment ten years ago. (I am one of those people, but now know.)



I am convinced that the Standards have the potential to do us more harm than good. I am living proof of what is to come, if we don't get the changes we desperately need.



If you can tell me now to get the Standards copy to this part of the forum, please do so. I have tried numerous times and failed.

Also important to note on the scanned document on my profile page, is that wording suggests that 5 year quarantine of your ground may be addressed with further research.



It is extremely important for you to know that the Standards doc includes language that embryos and semen may be responsible for transmission of CWD and will be considered with further research.



You all know what this would do for your industry.

I understand there is the "Rule" and then there is the "standards".....I know that the Standards can be changed and or tweaked as time goes on........but that is the only difference I know between the "Rule" and the "Standards".....why is there even two.....what (other than what I stated above) is the difference between them.......I am having a hard time with understanding what their differences are.....Sorry if this is a dumb question.....sometimes I need it spelled out for me......LoL..

DD, this might be too simple of an explaination and therefore not entirely accurate but might help with some understanding.

Think of the standards as being a glossary of definitions giving details to further spell out the rule. It therefore is truly the meat and potatoes, and how things are defined will be how we live and die.

ddwhitetails said:

I understand there is the "Rule" and then there is the "standards".....I know that the Standards can be changed and or tweaked as time goes on........but that is the only difference I know between the "Rule" and the "Standards".....why is there even two.....what (other than what I stated above) is the difference between them.......I am having a hard time with understanding what their differences are.....Sorry if this is a dumb question.....sometimes I need it spelled out for me......LoL..

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Good question. The "Rule" is essentially law and the Standards cannot be made less stringent than anything in the Rule. So the Standards are not going to address or help with the five year quarantine of animals. That will have to be amended in the Rule. Changing the Rule is equivalent to moving a mountain.



Yes, the Standards can be tweaked later, but again, through a government process, and can be addressed at meetings such as USAHA, again will require a public comment period before any changes will be approved.



Tomorrow's meeting will help determine if we are going to get a control program or an eradication program. If after that meeting we can share some of the Standards document so people will have a better idea of the impacts, I will be happy to take the time to copy and paste for your review.



Thank you for your comments. I hope this helps.

Thanks Roger and Rhonda........let's all pray that tomorrows meeting to be productive and in our favor....

This is a bit off base hear but it's beeen on my mind ! The Federal Gov't can spend hour after hour trying to figure out wordings on rules and standards that can not only effect us as cervid farmers but put us good honest working people out of business over a disease no one seems to know allot about yet at the same time that pretty much same Federal gov't can allow kids , students from other countries to come here with no student visa's that in turn help other kids from many other countries to blow up inocennt US citizens. What the hecks wrong with this picture ? Our president goes to Mexico and blames us the United States for all the killings going on down there in the drug wars because we the U.S are using the dope and we're manufactoring the guns used to provide and cause the killings and yet the Fed's seem impossible to deal with over the very unknow CWD that has never killed anyone . Don't know about the rest of you but that sort of crap bothers me . Why all the attention on us when there are so many much much more important things they seem to over look or fail at ?

Wooden acres, I tripped across something very scary today on You Tube. There is a student teaching video for grades 9 through 12 to learn about TSEs. In this teaching curriculum they only refer to CWD, not any mention of BSE, Scrapies, mink TSEs. Full concentration on our animals. You can find this under IDNR (Illinois) Prying into Prions Idnreducation.



Teaching our younger generations. Wow.

There is no doubt that the video that keith warren recently aired should just be the start to our pro active approach to educating our peers. When the only education out there is a bunch of false information and lies that is exactly what people will learn. Everyone that i have ever talked to about disease knows very little. They know just enough to be scary on what they will repeat. I can spend 5 minutes educating them about the disease and they walk away with a different approach about it! I think we need to start educating, maybe a TV show on the outdoor channel should be the first step ? It should be one to promote high fence hunting and the truth about diseases behind the fence.

Have you seen our TV show? It tells the story of whitetail deer, their biology and the lifestyle of people who raise them. It is on the Pursuit channel, Directv 604 and Dish 240, Wed. At 9:30 am central and Saturday at 10:30 pm central every week. We have talked about what happens to the deer on our farm, they go to the hunting ranch and we've shown some hunts, but it isn't a hunting show. Check it out.

http://wm40.inbox.com/thumbs/1_2c5181_2d7bc6b7_tn.jpg.thumb



I do not know if this will work, but I have tried to copy and past the CWD Rule page. Please note it does not require or recommend quarantining your ground for five years after depopulation. However, it does suggest that this may change with further research. Which is why I believe they have included the 5 year quarantine of your ground in the Standards Document today.

Tim,

The standards cannot and will not fix the rule. Dr. Klein has stated numerous times, "we can't change that in the standards because it is in the rule." The only way to fix the rule is to request USDA to open the rule back up for changes and you heard Dr. Clifford state at the meeting in DC that they would prefer to not go down that road yet.



We have been telling folks all along that the standards document is way worse than the rule, but for some reason folks are not listening. Contact me if you would like to see all the things we struck out of the standards document and replaced with wording we think the industry can live with. We have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow but I can tell you Charly already received an email from Dr. Klein reminding folks that if it's in the rule, it cannot be changed in the standards so I know we have issues already since she saw our suggested changes on Friday.



As for your comment about the five year quarantines, I can tell you the rule is way less stringent than the standards and that is why some of us have been so concerned about how this document has been written. We have done what we can with the document and will have to see how the final product ends up.



Laurie

Please....please....please...someone update us on the meeting today.....I know I for one have been thinking about it all day.......I hope and pray it went our way....and that little rhyme was not on purpose!! LoL!....

Dennis, I believe they spent two hours reviewing all of the requested changes. USDA requested some time for everyone to review industry's requests and they will discuss it at the next meeting in two weeks, was my understanding this afternoon. So lets all keep our fingers crossed for their consideration for industry's concerns and pray for a control program, allowing producers to obtain some compensation by allowing movement to slaughter facilities and hunting ranches and remove the exposed animals from the landscape, win-win for everyone. Maybe get a little research and better understanding for CWD along the way.

Laurie Seale said:

Contact me if you would like to see all the things we struck out of the standards document and replaced with...



Laurie

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Why not scann and post here for all to see?

Autry said:

Why not scann and post here for all to see?

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I do believe it should be shared with producers and hope it will be, but the document is so large and so many changes. It's not that easy, David.