Replies

From Randy Givens,

I called Kenney Edgar, the NAIS guy at TAHC (1-800-550-8242) and asked him if pet birds were covered. He said NO, at first. I am an old bureaucrat, so I drug him through his own definitions. Bottom line, he agreed that, as written, ALL avian species under human control are subject to the Texas version of NAIS. There are NO EXCEPTIONS for ANYBODY, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!!

Later, a Legislative Staffer told me she had talked to the "head of TAHC," and he finally admitted that they had written the Proposed Rules with an intentionally wide net, as handling exceptions was too difficult. He assured her that, even if it did cover somebody's pet bird, he had "No Intention" of enforcing the rule that way. That is outrageous!! He essentially has the authority to make laws, that HE doesn't intend to enforce. If he gets run over by a concrete truck on the way back from lunch, his replacement may just decide to enforce the letter of the law ...or PETA might sue in court to force TAHC to enforce the letter of the law/rule. Then we'd be up the proverbial creek.

I also talked to Gene Snelson, the TAHC lawyer, and Karla Everett, their public affairs lady. I also talked to Neil Hammerschmidt, the NAIS guy at USDA in Washington. I also called Rep. Robby Cook's office on this issue.

They got me some information I asked for, but would not respond to the NAIS issue.

I suggest you go through the TAHC proposed rules with a fine tooth comb.

Read their definitions very carefully, and see if you can find any exceptions.

You will be required to register any and all of the following types of animals, and register your "premises" for as long as you own one of any of the species listed.

"Animal" includes livestock, exotic livestock, domestic fowl, poultry and exotic fowl.

"Livestock" includes cattle, horses, mules, asses, sheep, goats and hogs.

"Exotic livestock" means grass-eating or plant-eating, single-hooved or cloven-hooved mammals that are not indigenous to this state and are known as ungulates, including animals from the bovine, swine, horse, tapir, rhinoceros, elephant, deer, and antelope families.

"Exotic fowl" means any avian species that is not indigenous to this state. The term includes ratites. "Poultry" means domestic fowl, including chickens, turkeys, and game birds.

I asked Kenny Edgar why rabbits were not listed, and he said he didn't know. Cherie says that she found that USDA has classified Rabbits as "Poultry." When is a Rabbit a Bird??? When the Federal Government gets involved!!

Dr. Hillman, the State Veterinarian, who heads TAHC, has a problem telling the "whole truth and nothing but the truth." When making excuses for increasing the cost of a blank form, needed by 4H and FFA kids to take their animals to a show, he said "the rules don't allow any exceptions."

True. But what he chose not to say was that TAHC makes the rules and could change them if they felt like it!! Instead, the increased the cost of the blank form from a quarter to $5.00 in one move. How high do you think they can jack up the $10 a year Premises Registration fees? They increased the form cost TWENTY times. If they do that to the Premises fee, it will go from $10 a year to $200 a year. Given the complexity of the system, and the amount of automation required, I will not be surprised to see the costs skyrocket.

I suggest that you have someone at Thursday's meeting, and call them on the lie/misstatement about pet birds not being included. Identify the person, and enter it into the record that you and your friends were misled by TAHC. Hold them to account for their actions. They have camouflaged this program as an "Agricultural Industry" issue, when the truth is that they are targeting everyone who ones ONE chicken, duck, pig, goat, sheep, horse, cow, etc. That includes Granny's lone parakeet in her 20th floor condominium.

Randy Givens
Paige, TX
cell: (xxx) xxx-xxxx

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