Abstract
The A.F.A. office was informed that PIJAC and IBI (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and International Bird Institute) were calling a meeting with USDA officials for Friday, March 26th, and requested the attendance and support of our A.F.A. members. After informing A.F.A. President Tom Ireland, and getting his approval to activate the Emergency Procedure, this was done. The Home Office called the two California Regional Vice-presidents. Northern California Vice-president Jim Coffman said that he would call his coordinators and they would get the word out. Southern California Vice-president Marguerite Agrella notified all club delegates in her area with a 714 area code. The Home Office called all those delegates in area codes 213, and 805 within driving distance of Los Angeles. At the opening of the meeting there were many A.F.A. club delegates and members present, coming from as far as Bakersfield and San Diego.
Marshall Meyers, legal council for PIJAC, conducted the meeting. Marshall reviewed the regulation for the sake of those who might not have been familiar
with it and its possible repercussions, and then asked a representative from USDA to state the reason for the necessity of such a regulation. Their justification was based upon this being "Yellow Nape season." and the traditional flow of WND from California. USDA was represented by Dr. William Buisch and Dr. K.A. Hand of Hyattsville, MD, Dr. Jim Rossword, vet. in charge of enforcement in California. Dr. Patton L. Smith represented California Dept. of Food and Agriculrure. It was noteable that USDA had attached enough importance to this meeting and the one the previous day with the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association (P.E.P.A.) in San Diego, that they had sent the acrual author of this regulation, Dr. Hand and his supervisor, Dr. Buisch, co defend it. P.E.P.A. went on record supporting our opposition to this regulation!
The first part of the period was taken up by the quarantine operators and commercial interests outlining problems they already had or could foresee in living with the regulation as it stands. The general agreement was for the establishment of a "dirty list" of birds-mostly
certain species of Amazons that have proven to be the most common sources of VVND-and reserve banding and record-keeping for only these birds. This left open the question as to the status of those birds already legally here and of those actually bred here.
Despite USDA's contention that this regulation will have no significant economic impact, will not increase costs, and the documentation will not be burdensome, past examples that had originated with these same statements are now weighted with these same increases, resulting in higher prices for birds. This, in turn, increases the profit for the smuggler as he doesn't have this overhead. The smuggler will now be able to take his birds in to be banded, as well as the legitimate importer, and can then raise the price because the smuggled birds would appear to be legally imported.
Breeders objected to the banding regulation itself, giving graphic details of what happens when a bird wearing a band gets caught on a tiny piece of wire or other object. If the bird doesn't chew off its leg, the other birds in the cage will. The result is usually a dead bird resulting in raising the cost of the remaining birds. While this doesn't have the same financial impact on the cost of Budgies as it does for African Greys, the aviculturist has a more personal relationship with his birds and they aren't just dollars or numbers but real, live creatures that he knows personally.
Dr. Patton 1. Smith, Chief of the
Bureau of AnimalHealth for the State of California, stunned the USDA representatives with the announcement that he was taking back to his office the recommendation for rescinding of the regulation. He did not believe that the justification for an "emergency" had been shown and the unnecessary inconvenience of abiding by this regulation did not justify its continuation since it doesn't do anything to lessen smuggling or control VVND.