We have come up with an email template to send to all the house representatives, especially those in your district and the Tourism Committee. We need ALL the help with can get! They NEED TO HEAR OUR VOICE! They need to be pounded with notifications saying to VOTE NO ON HB700!
Please use the below email as a template.
Copy/paste it, fill in the boxes, change the email to your own wording and send it out ALL weekend!!
The house of representatives and senators emails can be found on KALA website or at this link:
https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/default.aspx
Dear [Legislator's Name],
I am writing to express my strong opposition to HB700, a bill that poses a direct threat to deer farmers, wildlife conservation, and local economies across Kentucky. This legislation is based on misinformation rather than science and will have devastating consequences for those of us working to responsibly manage Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
Deer farmers already operate under strict oversight from the USDA and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, following rigorous testing and biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of disease. Our farms undergo quarterly inspections by the USDA, including hands-on inspections, and all of our stock are tagged with 840 numbers, just like cattle. We have inspectors present every time we transport deer in or out of our facilities. Additionally, we implement vaccine programs and we have certified herds free of TB and Brucellosis. We have already begun selective breeding for CWD resistance based on proven science—the same approach that successfully eradicated Scrapie in sheep herds. Our industry also follows a CWD response plan through the USDA to ensure any potential outbreaks are handled efficiently and effectively without unnecessary and harmful restrictions. Furthermore, we are required and have always been required to test 100% of all deer over 12 months of age that die, while the wild deer remain largely untested. Over the past 20 years, Fish & Wildlife has tested less than 1.75% of the wild deer harvested. Despite our extensive regulations and proactive measures, deer farmers continue to have the burden of disease monitoring place on us as the source of CWD, when in reality, we are the only ones actively working toward a solution.
HB700’s requirement for double fencing is another costly and unnecessary regulation that does nothing to prevent the spread of CWD. No other state in the U.S. has imposed such a requirement, and scientific studies have shown that double fencing is ineffective at stopping or even limiting the disease. These excessive regulations do nothing but add financial strain to deer farmers who are already working tirelessly to protect their herds and the wild deer population.
A critical question remains—why are deer farmers the only livestock industry being subjected to such extreme regulations? Other livestock industries dealing with disease concerns are not forced to operate under such excessive and financially crippling restrictions. If this bill truly had the best interests of wildlife and agriculture in mind, it would apply fair and consistent regulations across all livestock operations rather than unfairly targeting deer farmers.
The additional regulations proposed in HB700 will do nothing to stop CWD but will cripple our industry and drive farmers out of business. A five-year mandatory quarantine is financially unsustainable—no business can survive five years without income. Additionally, local economies will suffer as deer farming supports hunting, tourism, and conservation efforts that benefit the state. The economic impact of this bill is massive as 10 farms will IMMEDIATELY be affected counting the Breckinridge county farm. If the bill was to pass, new farms would automatically gain an additional costly entry barrier and for existing farms, add unnecessary costs and take away at least 10 feet of our land to have to build this double fence. Shutting down deer farms will eliminate the only group actively working toward a real solution—breeding CWD-resistant deer—putting both farmed and wild deer populations at even greater risk.
This bill is an overreach that ignores the best available science and dismisses the role of deer farmers in controlling CWD. If HB700 passes, it will shut down responsible operations, eliminate jobs, and undermine efforts to breed genetically resistant deer. We strongly urge you to help us fight this bill and protect our ability to remain in business. Kentucky deer farmers play a vital role in conservation and disease management, and this bill threatens everything we have worked for.
CWD is a neurological prion disease that affects the nervous system of cervids (deer, elk, and moose). It was first detected in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1967 at a government research facility. Therefore, CWD began as a government issue, not farmers. The disease is often portrayed as an immediate, catastrophic threat, when in reality, its progression is slow, and its impact varies greatly depending on location and management strategies. Misleading information has led to policies that hurt hunting traditions, conservation efforts, and private landowners without truly addressing the disease. The widespread misconception about CWD has led to policies driven by fear rather than facts. Research by leading scientific experts, including Dr. Christopher Seabury and Dr. James Kroll, has demonstrated that CWD resistance is possible through selective breeding—something deer farmers are actively doing. Instead of punishing those creating real solutions, lawmakers should be supporting science-driven approaches to disease management. Instead of basing decisions on sound research and industry knowledge, this bill is being pushed rapidly without fully understanding the realities of CWD.
CWD was first identified in 1967, yet from 1967 to 2021, the U.S. deer population grew by 568%. If CWD was always fatal and as devastating as some claim, we would have already seen a dramatic impact from a drastic population decline. Instead, deer numbers have thrived, proving that CWD is not the apocalyptic threat that fear-based policies suggest. This critical fact must be considered when shaping legislation that impacts our industry.
If you have any questions about this bill or the stringent monitoring programs we are already following, feel free to contact me anytime. Also, if you want to know the Department of Agriculture’s position on HB700, please contact them for further information.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We urge you to stand with us in opposing HB700 and supporting science-based solutions to combat CWD.
Please Vote NO on HB700 - don’t let deer farmers be the sacrificial lamb for Fish and Wildlife and the sportsmen’s groups.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Organization/Company]
[Your Contact Information]
