This is our member’s first notice on the comment period for the Proposed Chronic Wasting Disease Program Standards. The EWA will send our members talking points and areas that are very troublesome, to say the least, for producers and breeders of any of the susceptible species which include whitetail deer, mule deer, elk and their hybrids, red deer and their hybrids, sika and their hybrids and moose. As detailed in this message the public has until March 31, 2014 to send in comments for proposed changes.
This federal rule and the accompanying Program Standards are, by their very design, complicated and not producer friendly. Your association’s representative has worked with other industry leaders from the elk and deer industry over the entire last year to make significant changes to the standards but many of those major changes have not been made by USDA/APHIS. This is the last chance to make those changes before they are adopted.
Charly Seale
Executive Director
NOTICE: Proposed Changes to CWD Program Standards
Comments by March 31, 2014
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
APHIS Stakeholder Registry Bulletin
January 3, 2014
APHIS Veterinary Services is accepting comments on changes to the Program Standards for the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program. The program is a voluntary, cooperative program that allows participating cervid producers to achieve herd certification status of their cervid herds and to meet the requirements for the interstate movement of farmed or captive cervids. The Program Standards provide optional guidance, explanation, and clarification on how to meet the requirements for an Approved State CWD Herd Certification Program and provides guidance on the interstate movement requirements for farmed and captive cervids. The Notice of changes to the CWD Program Standards and request for comments may be viewed by clicking on http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2006-0118-0401. The draft program standards may be directly accessed and viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2006-0118-0402 or on the CWD website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/cwd/.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments before the closing period expires. All comments submitted on or before on March 31, 2014 will be considered.
Comments may be submitted by either of the following methods:
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0100-0012, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.
