HoppinHerdofHares
Active Member
We must take action against PAWS before it is too late!! -
PAWS alive and well and being revised-last Chance to save rabbits
I hope every breeder will take a few minutes to call Santorum, talk tothis Stoltzfus and explain why PAWS will regulate every rabbit breeder.
The whole concept of PAWS is bad for hobby breeding because it createslegislative intent to regulate breeders selling direct to owners (thatwould be pets or other breeders). If PAWS passes with this intact thenall the ARAs need do is file another lawsuit and this time it will beupheld and it will force the USDA to regulate EVERY animal breederselling direct to owners.
As written PAWS either provides zero exemptions to rabbit breeders orlimits us to GROSSing $500 per year in sales to pet owners or to otherbreeders. Currently the AWA and USDA exempts rabbit breeders if theysell direct to new owner or if you gross less than $500 sellingWHOLESALE ie to a pet store, or if the sale is for food or fiber. Ibelieve if PAWS as written passes sales of rabbits to other breeders asshow or breeding stock WILL be looked at as the same as a pet sale andregulated-due to the very narrow definition of what a food or fibersale constitutes.
What we need to tell Santorum's office is that as written PAWS hurtshobby rabbit breeders. PAWS removes our current direct sale/$500wholesale exemptions while it is unclear if other animals are evengiven an exemption at all. It gives a dog breeder an exemption of over$20,000 as per AKC's website FAQ. That the average price of a petrabbit is $19 while the average price of a dog is $500 (per RES breedersurvey 2004) and demand for rabbits is not what it is for dogs and PAWSwould limit us to either zero or $500 and $500 is only 12.5 rabbits at$40 ea or 20 at $25 ea. In order to exempt rabbit breeders PAWS must berevised to say that direct sales are exempt, sales of food and fiberare exempt, sales of breeding stock is exempt, and the $500 limit onwholesales should be increased to at least $1,000 because the $500 hasnever been adjusted since the AWA was created (per PIJAC-Pet IndustryJoint Advisory Council). Remember NAIS is moving forward, if PAWSpasses it will be impossible to evade the AWA due to NAIS. Also the AKCis saying they will amend PAWS to allow breeders to have anot-for-profit organization inspect you instead of USDA inspectors ifthe NFP is okayed by the Ag dept and if their inspection standards meetor exceed USDA regs. Which means ARBA would have to spend money tocreate an inspection program but we'd still have to abide by the USDAregs-a lose-lose situation. This was done to appease AKC but would alsoallow H$U$, A$PCA, and other AR orgs to conduct inspections. Given thethousands of new breeders that will need USDA inspection if PAWS passesUSDA doesn't have the resources, so it is possible that rabbit breederswould end up inspected by AR orgs opposed to breeding-try to pass thatinspection!
Imagine if 30,000 angry rabbit breeders called and faxed Sanotrum'soffice this week, think about the impact that would make! Even iffavorably amended for rabbits PAWS must be stopped, but let's at leastget a plan B amended version that exempts our activites. Permission tocrosspost this to breeder friendly rabbit lists granted.
Santorum WA office at 202-224-6324 (phone) Philadelphia Office:1 SouthPenn Square Widener Building, Suite 960 Philadelphia, PA 19107
Tel: 215-864-6900
Fax: 215-864-6910
From Pet-law
>Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:28:57 EST
>Subject: PAWS alive and well and in the works!
>
>As of today, January 12, 5:15 p.m., the revisions to PAWS, as
>discussed at the November 11 hearing, are being worked on, and Senator
>Santorum's office expects to make the revised bill public
>approximately by the end of January. My source is Jeff Stoltzfus, one
>of Senator Santorum's aides involved with the PAWS bill since it was
>first announced last May.
>
>And, yes, FWIW, I told him I objected to PAWS and why.
>
>Roberta Pliner
>
Qadoshyah
PAWS alive and well and being revised-last Chance to save rabbits
I hope every breeder will take a few minutes to call Santorum, talk tothis Stoltzfus and explain why PAWS will regulate every rabbit breeder.
The whole concept of PAWS is bad for hobby breeding because it createslegislative intent to regulate breeders selling direct to owners (thatwould be pets or other breeders). If PAWS passes with this intact thenall the ARAs need do is file another lawsuit and this time it will beupheld and it will force the USDA to regulate EVERY animal breederselling direct to owners.
As written PAWS either provides zero exemptions to rabbit breeders orlimits us to GROSSing $500 per year in sales to pet owners or to otherbreeders. Currently the AWA and USDA exempts rabbit breeders if theysell direct to new owner or if you gross less than $500 sellingWHOLESALE ie to a pet store, or if the sale is for food or fiber. Ibelieve if PAWS as written passes sales of rabbits to other breeders asshow or breeding stock WILL be looked at as the same as a pet sale andregulated-due to the very narrow definition of what a food or fibersale constitutes.
What we need to tell Santorum's office is that as written PAWS hurtshobby rabbit breeders. PAWS removes our current direct sale/$500wholesale exemptions while it is unclear if other animals are evengiven an exemption at all. It gives a dog breeder an exemption of over$20,000 as per AKC's website FAQ. That the average price of a petrabbit is $19 while the average price of a dog is $500 (per RES breedersurvey 2004) and demand for rabbits is not what it is for dogs and PAWSwould limit us to either zero or $500 and $500 is only 12.5 rabbits at$40 ea or 20 at $25 ea. In order to exempt rabbit breeders PAWS must berevised to say that direct sales are exempt, sales of food and fiberare exempt, sales of breeding stock is exempt, and the $500 limit onwholesales should be increased to at least $1,000 because the $500 hasnever been adjusted since the AWA was created (per PIJAC-Pet IndustryJoint Advisory Council). Remember NAIS is moving forward, if PAWSpasses it will be impossible to evade the AWA due to NAIS. Also the AKCis saying they will amend PAWS to allow breeders to have anot-for-profit organization inspect you instead of USDA inspectors ifthe NFP is okayed by the Ag dept and if their inspection standards meetor exceed USDA regs. Which means ARBA would have to spend money tocreate an inspection program but we'd still have to abide by the USDAregs-a lose-lose situation. This was done to appease AKC but would alsoallow H$U$, A$PCA, and other AR orgs to conduct inspections. Given thethousands of new breeders that will need USDA inspection if PAWS passesUSDA doesn't have the resources, so it is possible that rabbit breederswould end up inspected by AR orgs opposed to breeding-try to pass thatinspection!
Imagine if 30,000 angry rabbit breeders called and faxed Sanotrum'soffice this week, think about the impact that would make! Even iffavorably amended for rabbits PAWS must be stopped, but let's at leastget a plan B amended version that exempts our activites. Permission tocrosspost this to breeder friendly rabbit lists granted.
Santorum WA office at 202-224-6324 (phone) Philadelphia Office:1 SouthPenn Square Widener Building, Suite 960 Philadelphia, PA 19107
Tel: 215-864-6900
Fax: 215-864-6910
From Pet-law
>Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:28:57 EST
>Subject: PAWS alive and well and in the works!
>
>As of today, January 12, 5:15 p.m., the revisions to PAWS, as
>discussed at the November 11 hearing, are being worked on, and Senator
>Santorum's office expects to make the revised bill public
>approximately by the end of January. My source is Jeff Stoltzfus, one
>of Senator Santorum's aides involved with the PAWS bill since it was
>first announced last May.
>
>And, yes, FWIW, I told him I objected to PAWS and why.
>
>Roberta Pliner
>
Qadoshyah
