Wicker leads Senate fight against infectious disease impacting deer, elk, moose

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging a federal response to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), an infectious neurodegenerative disease confirmed to have stricken deer, elk and moose in 25 states and four Canadian provinces.

“The frequency of CWD detection has grown in infected areas, and new positive tests are being reported as deer hunting seasons begin around the country,” Sen. Wicker and nine other senators wrote in a Nov. 16 letter sent to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “We ask that you conduct an extensive examination of this dangerous disease.”

The members joining Wicker in signing the letter include U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and lead Democrat Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

So far this year in Sen. Wicker’s home state of Mississippi, three deer tested positive for CWD by the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, according to a statement released by the senator’s office.

Additionally, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health last week said a captive deer facility tested positive for CWD, while such tests have increased tenfold from 2005 to 2016 in Wisconsin, according to the lawmakers’ letter.

“This level of loss is already threatening deer and elk hunting, which are extremely popular in the United States,” according to the letter. “More than 9 million Americans participate in these activities annually, which are estimated to contribute more than $20 billion in economic activity, tax revenues, and license sales.”

The senators also urged that caution be used in the interstate transport of deer species because the only test for confirming the presence of CWD is post-mortem, according to Wicker’s office.

“We believe your agency experts, representatives from states and tribes, and the [Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council] can identify needs for national policy on this matter,” the senators suggested.

At the same time, Sen. Wicker also last week signed on as an original cosponsor to the Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission in Cervidae Study Act, S. 3644, introduced on Nov. 15 by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY). The bill would require the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on CWD, how it’s transmitted, and its potential to be transmitted to humans. S. 3644 is the Senate version of H.R. 6272, introduced on June 28 by U.S. Rep. Ralph Lee Abraham (R-LA).

The Senate bill has eight cosponsors in addition to Sen. Wicker, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

The House bill has seven cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), Ryan Costello (R-PA), and Tom Marino (R-PA). H.R. 6272 is under consideration by the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, as well as the House Natural Resources Committee.