PIJAC is preparing a Pet Alert

[VARNYARD]

Subject: *The future of the Reptile Industry is seriously at stake:

Hello Everyone:
PIJAC is preparing a Pet Alert for next week that will explain how this amendment has gotten to this point, and what will be going on from here.
Essentially, at the urging of a group of renegade Louisiana turtle farmers, Senator Mary Landrew D La, has snuck this amendment on an Agriculture bill that has already passed the Senate. The bill must now be reviewed by conference committees in both the House and Senate. If it passes, the President will sign it into law. We ALL need to contact the conference committee members once they are named, along with our own Congressmen and Senators - to take it up with the conference committee members. (PIJAC will provide the contact info.)
**In case you're not sure how you're reading it, These turtle farmers are openly screwing the entire reptile industry, as this amendment requires the Secretary of Agriculture to either repeal the 4 inch turtle law, or prohibit the sale of any reptile species that may pose a salmonella threat. If this passes, the Humane Society Of the United States will push harder than pit bulls for this new law to be enforced. Please get this out to everyone affected; and everyone please be prepared to read next week's Pet Alert, spread the information contained, and then act (contact your representatives) as soon as the conference committees are named. (PIJAC will keep us posted). They will need to hear it from us, and our Senators and congressmen. Or, we can all start figuring out what we'd all do after reptiles...
Marc Cantos
PS Happy Holidays

READ ALL OF IT; BABY TURTLES ARE NOT THE WHOLE ISSUE. THIS IS FROM THE CURRENT "HERP DIGEST"....


9) The Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act Ã?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?¢Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¡Ã?â??Ã?¬Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å? Or the Louisiana Turtle Farmers Strike Again.


(Editor- Defenders of Wildlife found this snuck into the Senate Farm Bill manager's amendment that passed last week (page 48 ). The only information that I have at the moment, that I believe is true, is that necessary hearings between the House and Senate to iron out a single bill that both houses of congress can vote on will take place in February. As I stated I believe this is just another attempt by the Louisiana turtle farmers to legalize the sale of red-eared sliders in the U.S. Thus making it possible to buy turtles not only on the street corners of every major city in the U.S., but your local pet shop, pet chain and even Walmart. Though the FarmerÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?¢Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¡Ã?â??Ã?¬Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¾Ã?â??Ã?¢s representatives got the amendment attached to the Senate version of the FDA bill, it was removed by the House. Now the farmerÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?¢Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¡Ã?â??Ã?¬Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¾Ã?â??Ã?¢s reps are trying to attach it to the recently passed Agriculture bill. I will be sending additional information on this as I receive it.)


The following is the bill as it now stands.


TITLE __--DOMESTIC PET TURTLE MARKET ACCESS
SEC. __. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the "Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act ".
SEC. __. FINDINGS.


Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Pet turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter have been banned for sale in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration since 1975 due to health concerns.


(2) The Food and Drug Administration does not ban the sale of iguanas or other lizards, snakes, frogs, or other amphibians or reptiles that are sold as pets in the United States that carry salmonella bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration also does not require that these animals be treated for salmonella bacteria before being sold as pets.


(3) The technology to treat turtles for salmonella, and make them safe for sale, has greatly advanced since 1975. Treatments exist that can eradicate salmonella from turtles up until the point of sale, and individuals are more aware of the causes of salmonella, how to treat salmonella poisoning, and the seriousness associated with salmonella poisoning.


(4) University research has shown that these turtles can be treated in such a way that they can be raised, shipped, and distributed without having a recolonization of salmonella.


(5) University research has also shown that pet owners can be equipped with a treatment regimen that allows the turtle to be maintained safe from salmonella.


(6) The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture should allow the sale of turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter as pets as long as the sellers are required to use proven methods to treat these turtles for salmonella.


SEC. __. REVIEW, REPORT, AND ACTION ON THE SALE OF BABY TURTLES.


(a) Pet Turtle.--In this section, the term "pet turtle" means a turtle that is less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter.


(b) Prevalence of Salmonella.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this title, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall determine the prevalence of salmonella in each species of reptile and amphibian sold legally as a pet in the United States in order to determine whether the prevalence of salmonella in reptiles and amphibians sold legally as pets in the United States on average is not more than 10 percent less than the percentage of salmonella in pet turtles.


(c) Action if Prevalence Is Similar.--If the prevalence of salmonella in reptiles and amphibians sold legally as pets in the United States on average is not more than 10 percent less than the percentage of salmonella in pet turtles--


(1) the Secretary of Agriculture shall--


(A) conduct a study to determine how pet turtles can be sold safely as pets in the United States and provide recommendations to Congress not later than 150 days after the date of such determination;


(B) in conducting such study, consult with all relevant stakeholders, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the turtle farming industry, academia, and the American Academy of Pediatrics; and


(C) examine the safety measures taken to protect individuals from salmonella-related dangers involved with reptiles and amphibians sold legally in the United States that contain a similar or greater presence of salmonella than that of pet turtles; and


(2) the Secretary of Agriculture--


(A) may not prohibit the sale of pet turtles in the United States; or


(B) shall prohibit the sale in the United States of any reptile or amphibian that contains a similar or greater prevalence of salmonella than that of pet turtles.

FYI: Mike and Marshall at PIJAC's E-mail address'
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[nat]

there is a similar bill that is being considered in BC by the spca to ban all exotics unless one has a permit (which, to my understanding would be limited to zoos, science related things, etc). If I could, I would write in but I don't think too many senators thing what a chick from Canada thinks. ha ha

 

[Nyarlathotep]

That's utterly appalling. I'm making a short post almost all the words I can think of are four-letter ones.

Standard practice, slipping this kind of (string of curse words) *cough* legislation in over a holiday. Forget the fact that almost all chicken processing companies fail to meet the USDA 24% contamination standard. (24% is IMO horrendous). (Perdue 36% failure, Tyson ~28%)

Maybe this bill only addresses turtles (I was too agitated to read the whole thing). If this doesn't worry you because you don't own turtles, think again. Bills such as this are usually expanded many times over.

 

[hghjim]

I contacted Marc to see if he would let us know how we could help. He's not familiar with using these forums, so he gave me permission to post his comments.

Thanks for showing me this Jim. I don't know how to put info on it ( maybe you can)but, individuals can contact PIJAC to stay informed and jump right in once the conference committees are named in both the House and the Senate - by contacting the members, and their own representatives (Senators and Congressmen) to take up the issue with the conference committee members. The more people who speak up, the better.
Remember, the Reptile Industry as a whole, has always sided with the farmers on this issue, and for the farmers to stab the industry and pet owners in the back like this is not only the lowest of the low, but serves us all up to humane extremist groups who could not have divided and conquered us any better themselves...
Making their dream of a world without pets, one giant step closer...

 

[Mike]

Wow..... :?

 

[Nyarlathotep]

To put the absurdity of the "four inch turtle anti-salmonella law" into perspective, it was passed to address a rise in salmonella rates in children. The most frequent method of contraction was as follows:
1. Vendor says "baby turtles make great pets for baby humans!"
2. Parent buys baby turtle for small child. (caveat emptor)
3. Child puts turtle in mouth, ingesting excrement (or residue of same on their shell).

This law has since been looked upon with sympathy by many herpetoculturists, after all, it does protect hordes of baby turtles from being purchased from the state fair (or similar). We've only given up a little bit of liberty, and look at all the convenience we've gained

Why not address the real issue and treat pet turtles (and other herps) as pets? If you lock a puppy in a small, cold box to starve to death, that makes you a criminal. I think most of us would agree that the same should apply for reptiles.

Can anyone fathom laws being passed to regulate dogs in this manner?

Joe Idiot: "My dog got me and my son sick. I want dogs outlawed."
Congressman: "Great! I love making laws, its what we do! Tell me how it happened."
Joe Idiot: "Well, it started with me putting my mouth on my dog's ***"

 

[COWHER]

:shock: :shock: time to get involved people :shock: :shock:

 

[Nyarlathotep]

In case you missed the diamonds in the rough of the legalese, this act mandates "salmonella investigations" into every species of reptile, not just turtles.

(b) Prevalence of Salmonella.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this title, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall determine the prevalence of salmonella in each species of reptile and amphibian sold legally as a pet in the United States in order to determine whether the prevalence of salmonella in reptiles and amphibians sold legally as pets in the United States on average is not more than 10 percent less than the percentage of salmonella in pet turtles.

Again, note the arrogance of these people. It never occurs to them to simply tell parents to stop their children from eating dookies.

Michael Herndon, spokesman for the FDA's veterinary science division, said small turtles were targeted because "The agency believed that turtles with shells larger than four inches do not pose the same threat since youngsters would not likely try to fit them into their mouths." In 1970, "a quarter million infants and small children were diagnosed with having turtle-associated salmonellosis."

 

[DZLife]

What states would this bill affect if it is passed? Should I be seriously worried?

 

[hghjim]

States ?????? ALL 52 OF THEM :cry:

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

that's gotta suck, thy're about to shut down a reptile shelter in BC, not far from here where i live

 

[nat]

korean, are you talking about the rainforest reptile rescue? Cause if you are, that's a very good thing. They are the ones who are really pushing for reptiles to be banned in BC and they won't adopt any of their reptiles out to qualified people. They just euthanize them (quite loudly as they like to threaten euthanasia if they won't get money). Sorry I have a huge issue with these people and they threaten to shut down constantly as a means to get more donations.

 

[VARNYARD]

IMO, it is a way for them to get their foot in the door, it will affect all of us and all reptiles.

 

[DZLife]

Wow, I thought it would only affect 1 or two states....you're right, if this gets passed, they're just going to be able to push for even more banning laws that much more easily.

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

right, it was the rainforest reptile rescue, i knew they were like that, i just didn't know about the whole donation thing and stuff, i think they asked for like $11,500 donation, was never really paying any attention to what's was really going on in the reptile world now days, was way too busy with school

 

[Nyarlathotep]

(2) the Secretary of Agriculture--
(A) may not prohibit the sale of pet turtles in the United States; or
(B) shall prohibit the sale in the United States of any reptile or amphibian that contains a similar or greater prevalence of salmonella than that of pet turtles.

In simpler words, they'll make a decision (after arbitrary, expensive investigations and findings). Either deregulate turtles or ban sale of untold numbers of species. Savanna and nile monitors, colombian tegus and untold numbers of snakes are likely to be classified as a "salmonella risk" and banned for sale. When anything is federally classified as a "public health risk", ownership bans are soon to follow (at federal, state and local levels).

For those old enough to remember, these slider breeders bred millions of turtles. They were often sold to unsuspecting parents at county fairs and amusement parks for $5 each, complete with a bowl (which would serve as their home for the rest of their short, miserable lives). Turtle dies a few months later? No big deal, it was only $5, they'll sell you another. (which supported the high volume nature of their business).

(2) The Secretary of Agriculture -- will decide either that...
(A) They win
(B) Everyone loses

 

[nat]

right, it was the rainforest reptile rescue, i knew they were like that, i just didn't know about the whole donation thing and stuff, i think they asked for like $11,500 donation, was never really paying any attention to what's was really going on in the reptile world now days, was way too busy with school

they wanted 11,000 a month from the city, because they refuse to adopt out the hundreds of bearded dragons, turtles, boxies, tortoises, iguanas, corn snakes, milk snakes, ball pythons, monitors and Tegus, etc that they have. They are also the ones pushing for an exotic ban in Vancouver and all of BC because they argue that their facility is proof that people are incapable and unwilling to care for reptiles. I even offered to take some of his sulcatas. The guy who runs it says that if the money runs out he is going to euthanize everything OR lock the doors with the animals inside and drop the keys off at city hall. ugh.

sorry to hijack the threat but I figured it was kind of on the sam topic!

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

ah, close enough, i actually wanted to adopt an sulcata and a rock iguana from them, if they had any

 

[ApriliaRufo]

So who do I e-mail my thesis to? Please someone give me the info and I will render a very long and in depth thesis on the destruction of our favorite hobby.

 

[hghjim]

So who do I e-mail my thesis to? Please someone give me the info and I will render a very long and in depth thesis on the destruction of our favorite hobby.

Contact these people, and they will let you know;

Mike and Marshall at PIJAC's E-mail address'
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