On Wednesday, January 27, Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls) presented new solutions to aid in the state’s fight against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The House Environment and Natural Resources Finance & Policy Committee approved Rep. Ecklund’s legislation, which will strengthen the state’s approach toward CWD, particularly relating to deer farms.
“Many Minnesota families cherish our hunting traditions, but to protect this heritage, we need to protect our deer population. It’s time for a comprehensive approach to prevent CWD from spreading,” Rep. Ecklund said. “This important legislation will help deliver safety and integrity for our wild white-tailed deer herd, moving us in the right direction in our fight with CWD.”
The bill creates new requirements for deer farms, including one to immediately notify the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of an escaped animal if the animal is not returned or captured within 24 hours and requires identification of farmed white-tailed deer to include certain contact information of the owner. It allows a licensed hunter to kill and possess an escaped farmed Cervidae without being liable to the owner for the loss of the animal and requires farmed Cervidae killed by a hunter or the DNR to be tested for CWD at the owner’s expense.
Rep. Ecklund’s legislation expands a provision prohibiting the importation of Cervidae carcasses. Under current law, a person cannot import a hunter-harvested Cervidae carcass unless it has been processed to meet certain requirements to ensure it has been cleaned of all brain tissue and the spinal column (e.g. cut and wrapped meat, finished taxidermy mounts, or quartered without the spinal column or head attached). The bill expands the provision to all Cervidae carcasses, not just those harvested by hunters. The bill also includes changes to muzzleloader regulations, permanently allows portable stands within wildlife management areas, and allows all legal firearms to be used statewide during the regular firearms deer season.
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