National Deer Alliance and QDMA Respond to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Captive Cervid Quarantine Order

National Deer Alliance and QDMA Respond to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Captive Cervid Quarantine Order

New PDA quarantine order is a step in the right direction, but still misses the mark in several areas related to stopping the spread of CWD

INDIANA, Pa. – (September 16, 2020) —  The National Deer Alliance (NDA) and the Quality Deer Management Agency (QDMA) welcomed a recent announcement from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) establishing a CWD Core Captive Management Zone encompassing three Pennsylvania counties. However, the organizations feel stronger, more specific rules should be applied.

About the New PDA Quarantine Order

The new order established the Core Captive Management Zone with the goal to slow the spread of CWD in Pennsylvania. PDA has regulatory authority over the 760 deer breeding farms, hunting preserves and hobby farms in the Commonwealth. The order attempts to control CWD in the area of the state where it is most prevalent while allowing deer farms to stay in business.

While NDA and QDMA support some of the provisions found in the new quarantine order, some of the order’s weak regulations allow facilities located within the CWD Core Captive Management Zone to move live, and potentially infected, deer in ways that threaten Pennsylvania’s wild deer herd.

“Through our extensive work and consultation with top experts on CWD across North America, we know that moving deer, dead or alive, can facilitate the spread of the disease,” said Nick Pinizzotto, president and CEO of NDA and QDMA. “Currently, the best way to slow the spread of CWD is to limit or prohibit the movement and transport of live cervids or potentially infected cervid parts.”

While NDA and QDMA understand that the recent quarantine order from PDA establishing the CWD Core Captive Management Zone is a step in the right direction for the management of the disease in both captive and wild deer herds, the order leaves much to be desired. Moving deer, captive or wild, dead or alive, only hinders CWD management efforts.

NDA and QDMA will always prioritize the protection of wild deer from CWD. PDA’s quarantine order, while helpful in some ways, still misses the mark in several areas with respect to slowing the spread of CWD in Pennsylvania.

More information is available at nationaldeeralliance.com and can be found on the NDA website or on its social outlets.

About National Deer Alliance: NDA is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with a mission to serve as the guardian for wild deer conservation and our hunting heritage. Focusing primarily on issues at the policy level, NDA is a leader in advocating for sustainable, science-based conservation of wild deer and fair-chase hunting, and is a source for credible, responsible, and timely information. Learn more at nationaldeeralliance.com.