Copied from Herpfamily.com...seems relevant here...
"Important read!!!!! Please
April 30, 2009
Hello Fellow Herpers,
In recent days there have been many comments on topics related to HR669, so I
decided to make a few of my own. If you care to, please forward this letter on to others as
food for thought. My name is Bill Brant, and my [COLOR=#006699! important][COLOR=#006699! important]wife[/color][/color] and I own The Gourmet Rodent. I
have been on the board of directors for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC)
since March, 2003. I have also represented the Reptile Industry in Florida on the Animal
Industry Technical Council (AITC), an advisory council to the Commissioner of
Agriculture for the state of Florida.
In recent months our industry has been involved in several high profile pieces of
federal legislation, HR669 and S373. HR669 has gotten more attention in recent months
because it just came before the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and
Wildlife, but make no mistake, S373 as well as other issues threaten our emerging
industry.
I have been encouraged by the outpouring of responses that preceded the hearing on
HR669, however I have been saddened and somewhat confused by the responses I have
seen on several of the forums by the leadership in the industry.
My confusion is because many posts indicate that HR669 is dead in the water. To my
knowledge, that is not the case. At the end of the hearing, Rep. Bordallo stated that there
would be a ten day comment period. I have seen nothing official that states anything
other than the bill is still in progress,
(
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.[COLOR=#006699! important][COLOR=#006699! important]php[/color][/color]?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=60&extm
ode=view&extid=246).
Even if it is going to undergo a significant revision, or a re-write, I believe our
industry should offer to help come to a reasonable compromise, rather than dig our heels
in and take the position of no compromise. If we do that, we may find out that we are in
the minority, and get out voted. I also think it is unwise to prematurely claim victory at
this point in time. We may have gotten their attention, and earned their respect for having
garnered so much grassroots support, however to “crow” about victory prematurely could
cause them to take a more unyielding position when it comes down to the compromises
they are willing to concede to.
I am saddened by the misinformation that is abundant in recent posts on forums.
Especially when it comes to the intent and impact of the National Reptile Improvement
Plan (NRIP). To understand its intent, you need to understand its inception. It came about
as a result of the “Tick Symposium” held in July 2000 in Tallahassee, FL. The Tick
meeting came about because regulators in the Florida Department of Agriculture and the
US Department of Agriculture were responding to the “Heartwater Scare” of 1999. Ticks
carrying the bacterium that causes Heartwater [COLOR=#006699! important][COLOR=#006699! important]Disease[/color][/color], a very fatal disease for ruminant
animals such as [COLOR=#006699! important][COLOR=#006699! important]cattle[/color][/color], sheep and deer, were found on imported Leopard Tortoises. At the
time, FDOACS and USDA had no idea who the reptile industry was, so they sponsored
the symposium to see who would show up.
PIJAC and many concerned herpers showed up to try to limit the action of USDA and
FDOACS to just the reptiles that could be carrying the vector ticks. It became apparent at
the symposium that our industry would need Best Management Practices and Standard
Operating Procedures in order to have credibility in the eyes of our regulators. That is the
reason why NRIP was drafted, not to create an elite group of larger reptile [COLOR=#006699! important][COLOR=#006699! important]dealers[/color][/color] and
breeders. It took three years, and was open to anyone who showed an interest in
participating in the process. We welcomed all the help we could get.
In June 2008, we convened a group of interested herpers at the PIJAC office in
Washington, DC to review the NRIP document for potential amendments. One of the
topics we addressed was making the program more user friendly for smaller reptile
breeders of all types, sizes and descriptions. Most importantly, I want to emphasize that it
is PIJAC’s desire to have NRIP be a voluntary program. I think it is interesting to see the
similarity between the “code of ethics” of NCARK (the precursor of USARK) , and the
NRIP program. Please take time to check them out.(
http://www.ncark.org/ethics.php)
(
http://pijac.org/projects/project.asp?p=28).
A final reason why I am saddened is the seeming rivalry between USARK and PIJAC.
I suspect that this is the result of one being a forty year old organization, and the other
being a one year old organization. I am a member of both organizations, and urge you to
do the same. They both have something to add to our common cause. USARK is young
and reptile specific. PIJAC is seasoned and has been the “go to” resource for regulators
and legislators for decades. As far as I can tell, the desired outcome of both organizations
is to have a workable set of regulations that enable people to pursue their passion for
reptiles while providing protection for the environment, public health and safeguards for
people in our communities that don’t share our enthusiasm for reptiles. ( PIJAC’s
position on HR669 is included here:
http://pijac.org/governmentaffairs/hr669forum.asp )
I think our interests would be better served if we focused on solving the legislative
challenges we all face in a unified manner. Please consider what I have said. I look
forward to seeing many of you at the Daytona Expo, or the NARBC shows that I attend.
Sincerely,
Bill Brant
The Gourmet Rodent"
