Please see the below Amendment for the Standards document which I helped draft at the USAHA Conference last October in Greensboro, NC. We CAN make changes people, but we have to work together to do it, please pay attention to all of this important information. Thank you.
UNITED STATES ANIMAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
2012 Resolution
116th Annual Meeting
October 18-24, 2012 ~ Greensboro, NC
_________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION NUMBER: 20 APPROVED
SOURCE: COMMITTEE ON CAPTIVE WILDLIFE AND ALTERNATIVE LIVESTOCK
SUBJECT MATTER: Chronic Wasting Disease Control
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
It has been stated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services that (1) the goal of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) program in the United States has now changed from eradication to controlling its spread, (2) there is no longer federal funding available to pay for CWD testing or to pay indemnity for CWD infected or exposed animals, and (3) depopulation of infected herds will no longer be required or expected.
With this major change in objectives, it is critical that we change the way we implement the CWD program in the United States. We now need a program that minimizes the risk of spreading CWD in farmed and wild cervidae without putting farmed cervidae producers out of business if their herds become CWD infected or exposed. We need a CWD control program that includes plans for how to (1) handle infected or exposed herds, (2) clean up infected herds without depopulation, and (3) provide outlets so producers can continue to sell velvet antler and live animals to slaughter or specified terminal facilities.
RESOLUTION:
The United States Animal Health Association urges the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services and state animal health regulatory officials to develop protocols for the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) control program that mitigate the risk of the spread of CWD and allow producers with CWD infected or exposed herds to continue operations under quarantine and which allow (1) addition of cervidae from CWD certified herds, (2) participation in herd plans such as test and removal, and (3) movement of velvet antler and live animals to slaughter or other approved terminal facilities.
