On the one hand, there is the big money. That would be the Wild Sheep Foundation, whose pockets are very, very deep, and their paid lobbyists and supporters who can work the halls in Juneau at will.
On the other, the hobbyist, fancier, 4-H family, homesteader, rancher, farmer. Who will be forced to rely upon their elected representatives for assistance, during what is sure to be a contentious legislative session.
Do not be fooled, this entire situation was created on purpose, by the Wild Sheep Foundation. The aim was to remove domestic sheep and goats from the clean list (as established by the Board of Game) permanently.
When MOVI was first brought to light, most Alaskan livestock owners had never heard of it, or what the track record of the WSF in the L48 looked like. Concerned about the risks, testing was proposed and then performed on domestic animals. Testing was also performed on wild sheep, goats, caribou and moose. Bear in mind that the science is not settled, the testing is not settled as to method and type, and that there are 400 strains of this opportunistic beastie known so far. And yep, you guessed it, it can be found in them all. A very small percentage of domestics, however. So then the question becomes: Who infected who, first?
Common sense has been scarce in the whole WSF fiasco to date, as the WSF and their followers, cannot even seem to see, that tracking, hunting, darting, tagging, and sampling these wild animals, causes them stress. Stress is the main factor in triggering MOVI into the pneumonia that kills them.
But hey, taking hundreds of wild animals every year is perfectly fine, right? >sarcasm<
Naturally, this is not an emergency to the Golden Boy heading the Division of Ag. While they do have a representative present at the working group meetings, Director Keyes is awaiting a "report" on the issue. Seriously? Waiting for a report? What in the heck is so pressing about marketable crops in January, that he cannot attend a meeting and learn firsthand, the threat facing Alaskan livestock owners? Who knows what his excuse is. And as upset as these producers are, his one public letter does not prove he supports livestock production in full, no matter the threat. Shame on him for taking the "plausible deniability" route, because it was expedient. Pffft! Whether Keyes is concerned about continued employment or not, it is his responsibility to be on top of this. Period end.
This is a crisis indeed, for our friends, family, and neighbors who own domestic sheep and goats. Since that nasty MOVI seems to be pretty much everywhere, and so are the wild animals, their removal from the clean list spells crisis, loud and clear.
Common sense has been scarce in the whole WSF fiasco to date, as the WSF and their followers, cannot even seem to see, that tracking, hunting, darting, tagging, and sampling these wild animals, causes them stress. Stress is the main factor in triggering MOVI into the pneumonia that kills them.
But hey, taking hundreds of wild animals every year is perfectly fine, right? >sarcasm<
Naturally, this is not an emergency to the Golden Boy heading the Division of Ag. While they do have a representative present at the working group meetings, Director Keyes is awaiting a "report" on the issue. Seriously? Waiting for a report? What in the heck is so pressing about marketable crops in January, that he cannot attend a meeting and learn firsthand, the threat facing Alaskan livestock owners? Who knows what his excuse is. And as upset as these producers are, his one public letter does not prove he supports livestock production in full, no matter the threat. Shame on him for taking the "plausible deniability" route, because it was expedient. Pffft! Whether Keyes is concerned about continued employment or not, it is his responsibility to be on top of this. Period end.
This is a crisis indeed, for our friends, family, and neighbors who own domestic sheep and goats. Since that nasty MOVI seems to be pretty much everywhere, and so are the wild animals, their removal from the clean list spells crisis, loud and clear.
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