Dear
members,
In the last
year we have updated you on several development with respect to Invasive Alien
Species. From our colleagues of PIJAC USA we received the attached “PIJAC Pet
Alert” on this topic calling for action of the pet industry to prevent the
TOTAL COLAPS of the pet industry in the USA. If you do
not want to loose your suppliers and/or customers in the USA, please act
now!
In short:
the act will introduce a system of two list, a white list of approved species
and a black list of species prohibited for imports. The list are valid for all
territories of the USA! So species potentially behaving invasive in e.g.
Florida, will be on the black list for the entire USA. Each species has to be
screened for the risk of becoming invasive, imports are suspended until “proven
innocent”. As hardly any species has been screened yet, almost all species are
“guilty” for the moment and imports suspended until the screening took place
demonstrating the “innocence”. Criteria are such that most species face a
serious risk of not passing the criteria.
The email of Marshall
Myers of PIJAC-USA:
“ON April 23rd 2009
The Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. Congress
Will hold a hearing on
H.R. 669, a resolution that will in effect ban importation, interstate transport
and the private ownership of most birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish as pets.
Should HR669 be adopted as written
Only the following
nonnative animals would be allowed:
any cat (Felis
catus)
cattle or oxen (Bos
taurus)
chicken (Gallus gallus
domesticus)
dog (Canis lupus
familiaris)
donkey or ass (Equus
asinus)
domesticated members
of the family Anatidae (geese)
duck (domesticated
Anas spp.)
goat (Capra aegagrus
hircus)
goldfish (Carassius
auratus auratus)
horse (Equus caballus)
llama (Lama glama)
mule or hinny (Equus
caballus x E. asinus)
pig or hog (Sus scrofa
domestica)
domesticated varieties
of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
sheep (Ovis
aries)
Should this resolution
be adopted into law as written it will have a devastating impact on every pet
owner and business in the United States.
Action is needed TODAY
to protect your rights to keep your pets! To find
Out what you can do to
protect your pets please click on the link below.
PIJAC’s
request to OFI members: please contact your business partners in the USA to
alert them! Urge them to follow PIJAC’s request and email and fax to the members
of the subcommittee listed in the PIJAC Pet Alert.
Not fully
aware of what Invasive Alien Species is about in other parts of the world: come
to the OFI Conference on
this topic on 30 May at Suntec Singapore, sign in
now.
With kind
regards,
Alex
Ploeg
OFI
Secretary General
