CWD

IWLA Resolution Statement Regarding CWD and Cervid Farms

Recently, the Minnesota Conservation Federation worked with numerous other organizations, including the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League, to develop a CWD Action Coalition Position Statement regarding CWD and cervid farms, as follows (see the complete position statement here):

Be it resolved that we hereby agree and advocate for:

• An immediate moratorium on any new captive cervid[1] operation in Minnesota, except for cervid facilities created for the following purposes: wildlife research, rehabilitation, reintroduction efforts, or zoological facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

• The closure of all currently operating cervid operations in Minnesota, except for captive cervid facilities created for the following purposes: wildlife research, rehabilitation, reintroduction efforts, or zoological facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This coalition advocates for the compensation of captive cervid owners for the loss of their herd. The process for indemnification and payouts performed by the USDA could serve as a model for compensating operators.[2]

• A ban on the interstate and intrastate transportation of live cervids except to a terminal facility. Provisions may be made for transportation to a terminal facility, but not a “terminal hunt facility.” An allowance for the movement of wild cervid animals within the boundaries of the state of Minnesota for the purposes of research, reintroduction, or rehabilitation, or the movement of captive cervids between zoological facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, should be made.

• A prohibition on the sale, transfer, or movement of bodily fluids originating from cervids, including, but not limited to, doe urine and semen straws.

[1] The use of the word “cervid” is intended to include all members of the Cervidae family, including, but not limited to, white-tailed deer, elk, moose, etc.

[2] Based on information provided by the USDA we estimate the total compensation to the operators, under the USDA model, to be approximately $24 million. This number is generated from the $3,000 maximum payout allowed by the UDSA for a cervid animal, multiplied by the roughly 8,000 captive cervids present in the state according to the Board of Animal Health September 2020 Farmed Cervid Program Report.

Hearing Testimony on CWD Before the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee

Listen here to Dr. Peter A. Larson's testimony before the Minnesota House of Representatives House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee. You may want to start at 2:50. 

Hearing Testimony on CWD at the St. Louis County Board Meeting

Here is a link to the recording of similar testimony by Dr. Peter A. Larson at the St. Louis County Board meeting. Mr. Larson's part starts just after the 1 hour 46 min mark.

A Moratorium on Cervid Farms

The St. Louis County Board of Commissioners recently passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on cervid farms. Those are farms that raise primarily deer and elk in captivity.

There are 257 cervid farms in Minnesota and 172 that raise captive white-tailed deer, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. Those farms have played a role in the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Minnesota. Read more from MPR.

Disease Spreading From 'Farms' Threatens Minnesota's Wild Deer

For the health of the state, legislators must take action. 

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), an always-fatal neurological malady that is spread by deer through prions (misshapen proteins), is expanding across Minnesota. Read more from the Star Tribune.