EXPEDITED REPEAL
The Following Sections are Proposed for Expedited Repeal: Entire chapter 16-88 WAC, Control of tuberculosis in cervidae.
Rules Proposed for Expedited Repeal Meet the Following Criteria: Rule is no longer necessary because of changed circumstances.
Any person who objects to the repeal of the rule must file a written objection to the repeal within thirty days after publication of this preproposal statement of inquiry.
Address Your Objection to: Dannie McQueen, Administrative Regulation Manager, Administrative Regulation Program, P.O. Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98502-2560.
Reason the Expedited Repeal of the Rule is Appropriate: This rule was adopted in 1993 before there was a federal uniform method and rules for tuberculosis in cervids. At that time rules for control of tuberculosis in cervids was an issue for the small but growing farmed deer and elk industry in this state. Since that time the industry has gone out of business or moved to other states. Since 1993 no cervid farms have applied for any of the classifications offered in the rule. Movement rules for cervids into the state are covered by chapter 16-54 WAC or federal regulations. Without a viable industry which would be subject to this rule, there is no practical reason to keep this rule.
Repealing this rule would not have an effect on animal health in this state. There is no longer a viable cervid industry since the Department of Wildlife rules declared exotic deer as deleterious exotic species and made the commercial raising of native cervids illegal. Fallow deer and reindeer may be raised in the state with registry with Department of Fish and Wildlife, however, there has been no movement of these deer for a number of years except for a few reindeer around the Christmas season.
Since this rule was developed, the USDA, APHIS has published an addendum to the uniform methods and rules (UMR) for bovine tuberculosis eradication that provides program standards and procedures to control and eradicate tuberculosis in farm or ranch raised cervidae. The addendum has been revised several times since 1994.
March 19, 1999
Candace Jacobs, DVM
Assistant Director