SAINT PAUL, MN —State Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South Saint Paul) introduced HF 3827 legislation to require captive white-tailed deer to be tagged with modern GPS tracking devices. With the outbreak of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Minnesota and its association with captive white-tailed deer farms, the legislation is intended to help monitor captive white-tailed deer and prevent escapes which will minimize contact between captive deer and wild deer.
“If you look at our neighboring states, chronic wasting disease has become a huge problem,” remarked Rep. Hansen. “Minnesota has been mostly free of this horrible disease. However, we’ve seen an increase in detections at captive deer farms and in the wild deer population.”
The legislation would require the tagging of captive deer raised on farms, just as many farms currently tag livestock. When an infected deer is found it could easily be traced back to the source and appropriate measures would be taken to stop the spread.
“There’s not a significant cost to tagging an animal,” continued Hansen. “The benefit of tracking chronic wasting disease to the source and stopping its spread outweighs the minimal cost to captive deer farms. Minnesotans expect us to protect the public’s wild deer population from disease and this is one of the best ways to do it with minimal cost.”
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