NDA Submits Comments on USDA CWD Program Preliminary Document

The National Deer Alliance (NDA) recently submitted comments on the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 2016 preliminary CWD Program Standards document. The document was prepared by the APHIS CWD Program Standards Working Group, and issued by the agency in late October.

The National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) for the captive cervid industry was implemented in 2014. It is a voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by APHIS and implemented by participating States. Participating States and herd owners must comply with requirements for animal identification, fencing, recordkeeping, and inspections/inventories, as well as animal mortality testing and response to any CWD-exposed, suspect, and positive herds. APHIS monitors the Approved State HCPs to ensure consistency with Federal standards through annual reporting by the States. With each year of successful surveillance, participating herds will advance in status until reaching 5 years with no evidence of CWD, at which time herds are certified as being low-risk for CWD. Only captive cervids from enrolled herds certified as low risk for CWD may move interstate. Currently, 29 States participate.

To prepare the comments, NDA reconvened the special working group to address the 12 key elements laid out in the document, which include:

• Goals and Outcomes for the CWD Program
• Purpose/Use of the CWD Program Standards
• Definitions
• Susceptible Species
• Ante-mortem Testing
• Epidemiologic Investigations, Information Sharing and Reporting
• Indemnity
• Surveillance in Certified Herds
• Fencing Requirements
• Biosecurity Requirements
• Carcass Disposal
• Surveillance and Testing Requirements for Interstate Transport of Wild Caught Cervids

“We were clear in our comments that we feel strongly that USDA APHIS should do everything possible to reduce the risk of CWD transmission from captive to wild deer,” said NDA President and CEO, Nick Pinizzotto. “Wild deer not only represent the largest segment of the hunting industry, they also provide substantial social and economic value, and keeping herds healthy and vibrant is our top priority.”

Conservation organizations that are part of the special working group include Archery Trade Association, Boone and Crockett Club, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Quality Deer Management Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Whitetails Unlimited, and Wildlife Management Institute.

NDA and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide comments on the actual USDA APHIS CWD Program Standards when they are published sometime in 2017.