USDA Age REquirement

[christij]

This was on one of my email lists - I was wondering if anyone else had heard or recieved this info.

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The USDA has proposed to change the minimum age requirement for
animals to be sold or transported to 8 weeks AND weaned.

This means no more bottle babies being sold or at auction. Not to
mention that this is an across the board action that would include
EVERYTHING except poultry. Exotics, cattle, domestics, rodents you
name it! This regulation is open for comment only until the begining
of July so please check it out and sent the USDA your opinions.

I believe that this, like many other regulations, is an attempt to
over-regulate something that needent be regulated to begin with.
Afterall, how many of us make a living unloading dead animals? I
also believe that safe transport is up to the owner of the animal and
the USDA's involvement is only going to over-complicate an already
complicated situation. How can a regulation be considered fair if
it's alright to ship day old chicken in a cardboard box through the
mail and not an exotic on a bottle in a climate controlled trailer
with constant care? Please take a good look and comment (at the usda
site provided) about this new regulation. They're pretty serious
about it, it's already standard for dogs and cats!

Please go to www.regulations.gov and search for 'minimum age
requirements' it should pop right up.

[whinnyninny]

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspubli...ontentType=pdf

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

You must not fly animals. The USDA has much more lax rules than any carrier. All animals must be 8 weeks of age to fly Delta, of course the optimum age is 4 to 5 weeks so most of us simply lie, our vets know we do, it is much less stressfull for a 4 week old kid to fly than a weaned one. USDA says the animal must be able to stand up and turn around, Delta will not let a kid fly in a kennel in the south heat if it can not lift it's head and turn around. Some carriers want dogs to have more room than even the dog is comfortable with, dogs preferring tighter den type kennels.

There are always hearing dates that anyone can write in with information to change anything in the USDA, it's how scrapie tags got tossed for tattoos. The carriers do not have any such thing and people who don't own stock make their rules based on their persumed notions of animal welfare in most cases. Vicki