JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri Conservation Commission has embraced proposed rules for deer breeding facilities and hunting preserves in response to concerns about chronic wasting disease.
Under the regulations endorsed Friday, white-tailed deer, mule deer and their hybrids could not be imported from other states. The proposals also call for stiffer fencing requirements and testing for chronic wasting disease when a deer older than 6 months dies in a facility.
The proposed rules now will be published, and a 30-day public comment starts July 16.
Chronic wasting disease is fatal to deer and to other cervids. Conservation officials say Missouri's first cases were found in 2010 and 2011 in captive deer at hunting preserves in north-central Missouri. In all, 11 cases have been found in captive deer and 10 in wild deer.