EMERGENCY REGULATORY ALERT
Ref: 100% Mandatory CWD Testing
for ALL Operations: Production and Hunting10-3-13
All PDFA Members
Yesterday, The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture laid out to PDFA leadership the new General Quarantine Order; Chronic Wasting Disease Program Requirements which will DICTATE to EVERY SINGLE DEER FARMER in Pennsylvania what guidelines we MUST follow to stay in business. PDFA leadership feels the new guidelines are as serious a threat to our industry’s continued existence as we have ever faced in our state. The primary issue of concern is that EVERY PENNSYLVANIAN that posses deer will be required to be in a MANDATORY CWD program which requires 100% of death loses over 12 months of age to be CWD tested. Yes, that includes ALL HUNTING OPERATIONS. If you wish to continue deer farming in Pennsylvania we are pleading that you pick up the phone and make two phone calls. (CALL TODAY or TOMORROW !!) We have 10 days, please do not hesitate to call!
Your Pennsylvania State Senator
For a listing of Pennsylvania State Senators go to www.legis.state.pa.us
Click on “county” and it will take you to interactive map of PA where you can click on your county and the site will bring up your senator with contact information.
The Governor’s office of the State of Pennsylvania
717-787-2500
When you call plead with them to:
1) Call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) and DEMAND that they DO NOT publish the New General Quarantine Order in the Bulletin Publication.
2) Demand that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) include the deer industry in the development of a new General Quarantine Order. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture did not ask for deer industry input when developing this new General Quarantine Order. As the regulated party the deer industry’s input should be both mandatory and a matter of professional courtesy.
3) Share with them that these new requirements will put many small business owners out of business. Potentially causing many owners to lose their capital investments, including their ability to use their land assets to produce income. If producers cannot use their land assets to produce income, how can they pay the mortgages? Do we all lose our farms? These new requirements will also have a chilling effect on new business investment. i.e. chasing away new interest in the industry.
4) Ask your Senator and the Governor’s office; If they are in support of destroying existing rural sector JOBS and are they in support of attacking Pennsylvania’s family farms? If they do not support these agendas then ask them to make a difference and call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) and demand the items listed above.
Demanding that All Pennsylvania harvest facilities (Hunting Ranches) to test 100% of all deaths over 12 months of age when all Pennsylvania deer production facilities (deer farms) will be required to test 100% of farm mortalities over 12 months of age is both financially over burdensome and excessive/poor governance . Other states such as Oklahoma and Missouri test 100% of their deer farm mortalities that are 12 months of age and older but test 0% of all mortalities and/or harvested animals in their hunting ranches. Ohio tests 30% of their death loses in their hunting facilities, Wisconsin currently tests 50% on hunting operations and is requesting that to be reduced to 25%.
Currently:
Pennsylvania hunting operations which started with all certified animals (100% tested) and have only ever purchased certified animals (100% tested) are required to test 0% of their harvested/mortality animals. Pennsylvania hunting operations which have purchased animals from both certified (100%) and monitored (a % tested) programs are required to test 10% up to 30 animals of their harvested/mortality animals.
PDFA Leadership
Ref: 100% Mandatory CWD Testing
for ALL Operations: Production and Hunting10-3-13
All PDFA Members
Yesterday, The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture laid out to PDFA leadership the new General Quarantine Order; Chronic Wasting Disease Program Requirements which will DICTATE to EVERY SINGLE DEER FARMER in Pennsylvania what guidelines we MUST follow to stay in business. PDFA leadership feels the new guidelines are as serious a threat to our industry’s continued existence as we have ever faced in our state. The primary issue of concern is that EVERY PENNSYLVANIAN that posses deer will be required to be in a MANDATORY CWD program which requires 100% of death loses over 12 months of age to be CWD tested. Yes, that includes ALL HUNTING OPERATIONS. If you wish to continue deer farming in Pennsylvania we are pleading that you pick up the phone and make two phone calls. (CALL TODAY or TOMORROW !!) We have 10 days, please do not hesitate to call!
Your Pennsylvania State Senator
For a listing of Pennsylvania State Senators go to www.legis.state.pa.us
Click on “county” and it will take you to interactive map of PA where you can click on your county and the site will bring up your senator with contact information.
The Governor’s office of the State of Pennsylvania
717-787-2500
When you call plead with them to:
1) Call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) and DEMAND that they DO NOT publish the New General Quarantine Order in the Bulletin Publication.
2) Demand that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) include the deer industry in the development of a new General Quarantine Order. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture did not ask for deer industry input when developing this new General Quarantine Order. As the regulated party the deer industry’s input should be both mandatory and a matter of professional courtesy.
3) Share with them that these new requirements will put many small business owners out of business. Potentially causing many owners to lose their capital investments, including their ability to use their land assets to produce income. If producers cannot use their land assets to produce income, how can they pay the mortgages? Do we all lose our farms? These new requirements will also have a chilling effect on new business investment. i.e. chasing away new interest in the industry.
4) Ask your Senator and the Governor’s office; If they are in support of destroying existing rural sector JOBS and are they in support of attacking Pennsylvania’s family farms? If they do not support these agendas then ask them to make a difference and call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) and demand the items listed above.
Demanding that All Pennsylvania harvest facilities (Hunting Ranches) to test 100% of all deaths over 12 months of age when all Pennsylvania deer production facilities (deer farms) will be required to test 100% of farm mortalities over 12 months of age is both financially over burdensome and excessive/poor governance . Other states such as Oklahoma and Missouri test 100% of their deer farm mortalities that are 12 months of age and older but test 0% of all mortalities and/or harvested animals in their hunting ranches. Ohio tests 30% of their death loses in their hunting facilities, Wisconsin currently tests 50% on hunting operations and is requesting that to be reduced to 25%.
Currently:
Pennsylvania hunting operations which started with all certified animals (100% tested) and have only ever purchased certified animals (100% tested) are required to test 0% of their harvested/mortality animals. Pennsylvania hunting operations which have purchased animals from both certified (100%) and monitored (a % tested) programs are required to test 10% up to 30 animals of their harvested/mortality animals.
PDFA Leadership
