APHIS CWD Program Standards to be Reviewed This Summer

 

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services has announced plans for the formal creation of a new working group to review the CWD Program Standards document.

In October 2015, the Committee on Captive Wildlife and Alternative Livestock of the United States Animal Health Association passed the following resolution requesting USDA APHIS rewrite the language in Part B section of the document titled, "Guidance on Responding to CWD Affected Herds" and rewrite Part B under the guidance of a working group of state and federal regulatory officials and representatives from the farmed cervidae industry. 
 
The 2016 CWD Program Standards Working Group will consist of 12 members comprised of three farmed cervid industry representatives, three state veterinarians/animal health officials, three veterinary services representatives, two state wildlife officials and one CWD scientist.
 
The three representatives of the cervid industry are Travis Lowe of the North American Elk Breeders Association, Charly Seale of the Exotic Wildlife Association and Shawn Schafer of the North American Deer Farmers Association.  
 
The working group will commence work starting in June and conclude by September 2016.  Work will consist of weekly conference calls of the group, including a three-day face to face July meeting in Maryland.  A summary document will be presented as recommendations at the 2017 USAHA Annual Conference.