Texas Animal Health Commission

Public Testimony – 393^rd Commission Meeting

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 

Good afternoon Chairman Morales and commissioners.  My name is Patrick Tarlton and I am the Executive Director for the Texas Deer Association. Our Association represents an industry that contributes more than $700 million dollars to the Texas economy each year and more than 8,000 jobs to hard working Texas families across the state.

For the past decade, deer ranchers in this state have led the way in CWD testing and preventive measures. Our industry overwhelming supports testing to ensure the protection of our white-tailed herds.  Long before the index herd positives this summer, our industry readily participated in CWD monitoring programs conducted by this very agency to ensure responsible management of our deer. 

 We would like to applaud the Texas Animal Health Commission, Dr. Ellis, Dr. Schwartz, and all the staff for their efforts in helping to mitigate the impacts of CWD. We would also like to thank your regional veterinarians and epidemiologists for their constant thoroughness to work with each property owner during the development of individual herd plans. The agency has diligently sought to find prudent, reasonable solutions based on each specific set of circumstances in the development of unique herd plans for landowners across the state.   

 We look forward to working with you throughout the rest of the hunting season, as we continue to collect more samples to better judge the affects of CWD on our captive-bred white-tail herd. I appreciate your time and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.