Dear Editor:
Two bills have been introduced in the Missouri Legislature proposing to define White-tailed deer as "livestock." I strenuously oppose HB2031 and SB964 which define deer as livestock.
Who is behind these bills? Follow the money and you find the Missouri Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranch Association at the end of the trail. They want to transfer regulatory oversight over confined deer from the Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture. Not surprisingly, the Department of Agriculture does not want the responsibility because they do not have the expertise or resources to regulate deer enclosures. Agriculture regulates cows, not the permitting and regulation of high fence deer facilities.
The Department of Conservation has managed deer in Missouri since its inception. They have the biologists and conservation agents to enforce the law. The Department of Agriculture does not. The deer breeders association hopes to find regulatory shelter under the Department of Agriculture and avoid more stringent regulations imposed by the Conservation Department who are tasked with protecting the public interest of all Missourians.
Scientists agree, there is compelling circumstantial evidence that captive deer breeders and high fence shooting facilities have brought Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to the wild deer herd. With the spread of this horrific disease, deer hunting as we know it may be come to an end if this disease is not stopped. Fortunately, the Missouri Department of Conservation is proposing regulatory changes to help prevent the spread of CWD to a deer woods near you.
Therefore, I oppose the Whitetail breeders' efforts to enact a bill to move the responsibility for deer management to the Department of Agriculture.
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