The Kentuckiana Chapter of Safari Club International fully SUPPORTS House Bill 700.
The bill would prohibit the export of a cervid carcass or wild cervid outside of a chronic wasting disease surveillance zone; prohibit the export of a captive cervid outside of a 10-mile radius of a chronic wasting disease positive captive cervid facility; establish exemptions to the movement of cervid parts; allow breeding of captive cervids inside the facility in which the cervid is housed; require that the chronic wasting disease surveillance zone remain disease free for a period of five years; exempt prior chronic wasting disease positive detections from restrictions, and incentivize captive cervid facilities to increase the physical barriers separating their captive cervids from the public’s wild cervids.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) first put the State’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Response Plan into action in 2021. They established a five-county surveillance zone in western Kentucky in response to a CWD positive wild deer found in Tennessee near the Kentucky border. They expanded the original surveillance zone in 2023 to eight counties in response to the first CWD positive wild deer in Kentucky. In October of 2024, the first CWD positive deer in a captive cervid facility was detected in the State. In response to this discovery, the KDFWR established a second CWD surveillance zone comprised of three counties.
The implementation of these CWD zones and the respective response plan are further complicated by the fact that no single agency provides oversight of captive cervid facilities. Both the KDFWR and the Department of Agriculture (KyAGR) have jurisdiction and must coordinate on compliance, investigations, and outcomes. Adding further complexity to an already complex situation is the fact that the number of captive cervid facilities in Kentucky has increased significantly over the last five years. This legislation helps to bridge the gap between the KDFWR and KyAGR, tightens the rules both agencies use to manage the situation, and helps to protect the wild and captive cervid herds.
The first case of CWD was discovered in a captive deer in Colorado in 1967. Since that time the disease has spread to 36 states. The research and investigation on how it spread is extensive. The hunting community and the captive cervid community often engage in a debate about the spread, “Did your captive deer give our wild deer the disease or vice versa?” The fact is that both communities rely on deer. Studies have shown that the best way to prevent transmission in either direction is additional barriers, such as double fencing, to protect both herds.
While no one wants to put small business owners or alternative livestock farmers out of business, the economic realities must also be considered. The KDFWR reports that the hunting of wild deer and elk in Kentucky is approximately $805 Million dollars in state revenue annually. The latest Western Kentucky University study puts the captive cervid industry at $78 Million annually. A difference of $727 Million dollars.
The prudence of separating the herds with additional regulations and physical barriers is an ethical and economic imperative. This bill begins that process. We have been requesting those regulations and barriers for almost six years. The fact that we finally have a bill to make it happen during the 2025 legislative session makes the passing of HB700 urgent.
We ask our KYSCI members and the broader hunting public to consider contacting their legislators by calling the Legislative Research Commission’s Message Line at (800) 372-7181. A professional receptionist will answer and ask for your name and address to ensure your message gets to your Senator and Representative. Your message could be something as simple as, “Please pass House Bill 700.” If you chose to expand upon that message based on your personal experience, please feel free to do so. The operating hours of the message line are Monday through Thursday 7:00am to 9:00pm and Friday 7:00am until 6:00pm.
Additionally, if you would like to call or email your State Senator or Representative directly visit this link to access their information - Who’s my Legislator?
A great deal more information can be found at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife’s CWD page here - KDFWR CWD.
If you would like to email your Fish and Wildlife District Commissioner you can find their address at this link - F&W Commissioners.