The House Standing Committee on Tourism and Outdoor Recreation recently heard discussion about a bill that would limit possible effects of Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, in the Commonwealth. The meeting drew crowds for and against House Bill 700, with both sides speaking at length. The bill would require a double fence installed on captive deer farms and limit the amount and ways that cervids could be harvested and exported in and outside of the state. It would also create a permanent surveillance zone for monitoring wild populations.
Rich Storm, Commissioner of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said taking precautions is necessary to protect wild and captive deer populations across the state. He said CWD should be taken seriously.
“We’ve had two cases. Luckily those have been very isolated, and luckily we’ve had some pretty good response. We’ve had one case in the wild, that happened out in western Kentucky, and we’ve had one case in a captive cervid facility in Breckenridge County. My greatest fear, as I sit here today, if we do nothing and CWD spreads across this state, once it hits the interior of Kentucky, we will forever wish we had done something today,” said Storm.
Representative Josh Bray is one of the sponsors of HB 700. He said Kentucky is one of the final states to see the disease, which puts the Commonwealth in a unique position to defend against it.
“We’ve learned from a lot of failures and achievements from other states because we are truly one of the last states that are dealing with this, this level. So, if there’s any silver lining to this, it’s the fact that we’ve seen a lot of things happen, there’s a lot of history, and we’re at a point right now where its critical,” said Bray.
Opponents of the bill also spoke at the meetings, and said these requirements are too strict. They said most deer farms are small operations which could not handle the financial stain the requirements would enact. They said it would be devastating to business and kill local industry, affecting not just deer farms but specialty vets and feed stores as well.
The bill passed the committee after heavy debate.