Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Am I the only one that thinks this could backfire, and ALL herps could become illegal to sell?

The Louisiana turtle farmers are pushing to legalize the sale of hatchling red-eared sliders in the U.S. again, but it looks like they could be jeopardizing the livelihood of others in the process. Plus, they will be cornering the market, as only LA currently has a salmonella-free certification program in their state Department of Agriculture. It could turn out that only certified-free turtles can be sold - and what hobbyists can afford the certification process? Currently hobbyists (not in connection with a business) can sell turtles under 4".

Katrina
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From HerpDigest Volume #1 Issue #82, Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act – Or the Louisiana Turtle Farmers Strike Again.

(Editor- Defenders of Wildlife found this snuck into the Senate Farm Bill manager's amendment that passed last week (page 48). The only information that I have at the moment, that I believe is true, is that necessary hearings between the House and Senate to iron out a single bill that both houses of congress can vote on will take place in February..... Though the Farmer’s representatives got the amendment attached to the Senate version of the FDA bill, it was removed by the House. Now the farmer’s reps are trying to attach it to the recently passed Agriculture bill. I will be sending additional information on this as I receive it.)

The following is the bill as it now stands.

TITLE __--DOMESTIC PET TURTLE MARKET ACCESS

SEC. __. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the "Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act ".

SEC. __. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Pet turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter have been banned for sale in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration since 1975 due to health concerns.

(2) The Food and Drug Administration does not ban the sale of iguanas or other lizards, snakes, frogs, or other amphibians or reptiles that are sold as pets in the United States that carry salmonella bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration also does not require that these animals be treated for salmonella bacteria before being sold as pets.

(3) The technology to treat turtles for salmonella, and make them safe for sale, has greatly advanced since 1975. Treatments exist that can eradicate salmonella from turtles up until the point of sale, and individuals are more aware of the causes of salmonella, how to treat salmonella poisoning, and the seriousness associated with salmonella poisoning.

(4) University research has shown that these turtles can be treated in such a way that they can be raised, shipped, and distributed without having a recolonization of salmonella.

(5) University research has also shown that pet owners can be equipped with a treatment regimen that allows the turtle to be maintained safe from salmonella.

(6) The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture should allow the sale of turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter as pets as long as the sellers are required to use proven methods to treat these turtles for salmonella.

SEC. __. REVIEW, REPORT, AND ACTION ON THE SALE OF BABY TURTLES.

(a) Pet Turtle.--In this section, the term "pet turtle" means a turtle that is less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter.

(b) Prevalence of Salmonella.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this title, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall determine the prevalence of salmonella in each species of reptile and amphibian sold legally as a pet in the United States in order to determine whether the prevalence of salmonella in reptiles and amphibians sold legally as pets in the United States on average is not more than 10 percent less than the percentage of salmonella in pet turtles.

(c) Action if Prevalence Is Similar.--If the prevalence of salmonella in reptiles and amphibians sold legally as pets in the United States on average is not more than 10 percent less than the percentage of salmonella in pet turtles--

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture shall--

(A) conduct a study to determine how pet turtles can be sold safely as pets in the United States and provide recommendations to Congress not later than 150 days after the date of such determination;

(B) in conducting such study, consult with all relevant stakeholders, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the turtle farming industry, academia, and the American Academy of Pediatrics; and

(C) examine the safety measures taken to protect individuals from salmonella-related dangers involved with reptiles and amphibians sold legally in the United States that contain a similar or greater presence of salmonella than that of pet turtles; and

(2) the Secretary of Agriculture--

(A) may not prohibit the sale of pet turtles in the United States; or

(B) shall prohibit the sale in the United States of any reptile or amphibian that contains a similar or greater prevalence of salmonella than that of pet turtles.

Indeed, it looks like there's an "all-or-nothing" gamble being done here. Knowing that government's purpose isn't to enrich our lives, but rather to make their own jobs easier (hence the inability to get captive-bred out-of-state specimens otherwise considered "threatened" or "special concern" in the wild in your own state), it would be much easier for them to say no to all reptile sales if the treated turtles rank lower than them.

I notice that no mention at all is made here of the numerous other problems involved with the mass sale of RES--massive mortality at the hands of inexperienced keepers (which the business basically relies on--you can't have a going concern selling millions of animals that live decades in a country the size of the U.S without counting on the majority dying off), release into areas they aren't found naturally (a problem that would become evident if they examine the countries that used to buy these from LA), and the poorly informed consumers that contribute to both of the former (being either intentionally misled or merely under-informed as to the costly care requirements and adult size of their potential acquisitions).

I can't say I greatly sympathize with the turtle farmers at this point. The writing has been on the wall for some time about RES--they're hardy, adaptable, and breed like crazy. The same things that make them easy to farm have also made them a pain in the neck overseas, and have made efforts to grow them closer to home that much easier (if talk of the Chinese breaking the market is to be believed). They should've diversified a long time ago, switching to species that fetch much better prices overseas and are more welcome in the pet trade there--spotted turtles, for example.