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Petition to the USDA to provide Protection to Ferrets

 

Update: August 28, 2005: The deadline to submit letters to the USDA supporting the recommendation to revise the current requirements for handling ferrets by breeding farms, dealers, and research institutions is NOVEMBER 18, 2005. Do not miss your opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of ferrets. Please read and print out the following links: AFA flyer providing the latest complete details on how you can help - distribute this widely! Pointers and sample letters that you can use in drafting your own letter to the USDA. Don't have time to write your own letter? Use the AFA's form letter - print FOUR copies, sign each, and drop in the mail! Adobe Acrobat Reader required to print these documents. Having trouble? Contact us!

August 13, 2005

We're pleased to announce we have reached a major milestone in the effort to get the USDA and APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) to adopt ferret specific regulations under the Animal Welfare Act.

In March of 2004, several ferret organizations sent a petition to the USDA requesting a revision in the requirements for housing and transport for breeding farms, dealers and research institutions already under USDA control. The proposed changes would not apply to small breeders who sell privately; rather they would apply only to farms who breed ferrets for wholesale, their distributors, and the transport they use.

The USDA has accepted this petition, and has now requested public input. They ask 3 main questions (condensed here):

• Should specific standards be implemented for the welfare of domestic ferrets? If yes, please explain what standards you believe are needed.



• What specific problems have dealers, exhibitors, or research facilities had with the current handling, care, treatment, and transportation standards and how would ferret-specific standards eliminate them?



• Should there be minimum age requirements for the transportation of domestic ferrets, and, if so, what factors should be considered in determining those requirements?

For the full text of the request for comments and how to respond, go to http://www.regulations.gov/. Enter "ferret" in keyword, then click
Submit. Click on APHIS-2005-0063 in the first column to see comments, or the Add
Comment icon in the last column to enter your own comments.

For more information, please visit the International Ferret Congress' website.

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Please direct any comments, suggestions, and questions to afa@ferret.org