STOP: New CITES Reg. Will Change Transport Requirements over State Lines

SailBoat

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The most recent CITES EU regulations will change the way Exotic Parrots are transported over State Lines in the United States of America!

On 22, December 2016, CITES released the latest requirements, which adds 'Greys' to the list of Controlled Exotic Parrots. The same document increased the controls on transport of Exotic Parrots.

Yes, the over-reach of International Government continues to raise it ugly face and demanding hands into the Import and Export of Exotic Parrots. And of recent, the inclusion of African Grays to the every increasing number of Exotic Parrots including several MACā€™s and Amazonā€™s that are already on the list.

Hidden deep within the document is a number of very concerning ā€˜controlsā€™ over the transport of CITES listed Exotic Parrots. Long read short!:

Trade for Resale and/or Breeding across State Lines is controlled and Greatly Limited or Not Allowed! At this point, if pulled over by an enforcement officer; whether DNR, State Police all the way down to the small town guy can result in: any one or all of the Exotic Parrots being transported across State Lines to be taken by the enforcement officer. Now, most Police Officers could care less, but DNR is another story! And as always, the Cop with an attitude can bring all kinds of hell down upon the idiot giving the Cop a hard time! At present, the target is the idiot with a Van filled with a ton of Exotic Parrots coming to the attention of an enforcement officer. But, that does not mean that Tom and Tammy Tourist with their two and a half kids, a cat, a dog and an Exotic Parrot cannot just as likely be pulled over for questioning!

Point being, if you are trading /transporting CITES Controlled Exotic Parrots across State Lines, you are /can be faced with the same rules as if you are Importing /Exporting the Parrot. Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork! Fundamentally, the Exotic Parrot Trade within the USA will either come to a Stop, or resort to ā€˜Underground Railroadā€™ methods of moving Exotic Parrots.

Transporting Companion Exotic Parrots: The smart and wise Companion Exotic Parrot Owner that is traveling across State Lines would have with them Proof of Ownership of their Parrot! Example: We have the most recent Certified Avian Vet (CAV) Visit Document (Not older than One Year), which defines that day's Health Status of our Amazon. The Document has a current Photo of our Parrot on it and we also have his Micro Chip Number with us. At this time, there is only one Certified Avian Vet in Western Michigan that is providing this level of Documentation.

Fundamentally, it is the same information required to take your Companion Exotic Parrot on an Aircraft. The only difference is that the CAV document has to be within 30 days for air transport!

I am sure that this likely only increases the number of questions! FYI, Unless the US Government Walks Away from CITES, it will only get worst. This is being driven by the well funded PETA organization!
 

wrench13

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Thank goodness Amazona barbadensis is not listed. Salty will be coming to a lot of our pirate gigs this year, and we are up an down the East Coast. And I just had his leg band removed.
 

Scott

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Preposterous! I can understand the need to monitor transportation across national boundaries, but states unified under a federal jurisdiction as in the USA?

Have the feds reviewed and signed off on this onerous requirement?

I actually used to support PETA many, many years ago. The breaking point was their ownership of a high-kill shelter in Norfolk VA. The stats are available online, but IIRC something like 90% of animals checked in were euthanized. This is parallel to their dogma that companion animals are verboten.
 
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SailBoat

SailBoat

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And, now for the really ugly part!

NOTE: This selection contains my interpretation of the Breeder, Traders, Transporters, Reseller, and Owner requirements for Listed Parrots born after 2 January 2017, and known demands place on our EU friends!

Breeders, Traders, Transporters, Resellers, and Owners will be required to keep very good records of theyā€™re CITES listed Exotic Parrots. The long-term target Paperwork Trail is from ā€˜Birth to Death' for ā€˜allā€™ Parrots. In the short term, it is only for the CITES listed Exotic Parrots and born on or after 2, January 2017, which are classified as endangered! At some point, to transport a Parrot across State Line will require that whomever (including an owner) has the Parrot will need to produce that Document File! Once in the Destination State, for that owner to see a Vet, let alone get services from that new Vet will require the presentation of the Document File! Without the Documents, the Parrot will be seen as a ā€˜Black Marketā€™ Parrot!

If you buy a listed Exotic Parrot from a Breeder born on or after 2, January 2017. That Breeder needs to provide you with a Birth Document and a Bill of Sale that includes the Birthday and Date of Sale. That Birth Document is transferred to each additional owner with a Bill of Sale, all of which will require the new transaction dates. If you, as an individual or organization sell that listed Parrot to a new ā€˜Owner.ā€™ You must provide that new Owner with the Birth Document and a Bill of Sale(s), including the new transaction dates. Each has to be dated at each point along the line of the listed Parrotā€™s Life!

So, how do I know that this will be the likely end result! It is what Western Europe is doing now! And North America is next.

What will drive this process rapidly into the North American Structure: If there is a major outbreak of Avian Flu in North America during 2017 or beyond, it will cause a lock down Nation Wide. No Exotic Parrot will be allowed outside of their home location! And the whole process locks quickly into place and within days! It happened Last Fall in all of Western Europe!

The Document Trail is not in place, yet! But it is coming. So, if you are a Breeder, Trader, Transporter, Reseller (Pet Store) or Listed Parrot Owner, start getting ready for it by preparing your own files and knowledge trails so that when it does, you can easily complete the ā€˜New Documents.ā€™ Any listed Parrots you sell or buy with a Birth Date of 2, January 2017 and into the future, assure that all Owners' understand the importance of the Birth Date and Bill of Sale Documents. Ensure that they provide their CAV (Vet) with a copy of that Document File. Assure that you keep a Purchased file and a Sale File of every listed Parrot that passes though your Place of Business. Note, as time moves away into the future from 2, January 2017, be very careful of individuals that want to sell /provide you listed Parrots that they cannot provide you with a Document File. NEVER create a File for an Undocumented Listed Parrot! Without the Documents, the Parrot will be seen as a ā€˜Black Marketā€™ Parrot!

I hope that Good Sense will see this for what it is and puts a STOP to it. But that will have to happen in Washington DC and it will require that both Parties need to Act together.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/cites/pdf/cop17/implementation_CITES_CoP17_listings.pdf


NOTE: If you know the Birthdate of your Parrot, regardless of species, have it added to youā€™re Vetā€™s Medical File and create a file of your own. Find and keep all Bill of Sales regarding your Parrot. If your Parrot has a Leg Band and you choose to have it removed, place it in your Parrotā€™s file! You may need it as proof. Remember to note the numbers and letters on leg band prior to having it removed.


NOTE: You may recall a recent Thread from a European member that had gotten /was given an undocumented Parrot from a ā€˜friendā€™ and was faced with moving to another EU Country, did not have the documentation that would allow him to take the Parrot with him. Do not be that guy!


NOTE: CITIES in conjunction with the United Nations and the European Union have clearly been part of this Process. That said - the United States and Canadian Governments have been also active players!
 

GaleriaGila

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Thank you for this information.
I suddenly don't feel so silly for keeping the Rb's removed band in his scrapbook, along with repeated multi-media documentation of his identity.
This is so bizarro. Yeah, private owners of one or just a few birds... surely we're safe... but... as said above, stranger things have happened. A weird circumstance or two, and... who knows????????
I'm going to keep the Rb's vet records with his scrapbook (the hard copy one) in a safe yet handy place.
And for breeders, rescuers, and similar... I am so worried for you now.
This really shakes me up.
 
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SailBoat

SailBoat

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So, how and when did this happen:

Sadly only two short years ago your Certified Avian Vetā€™s Association and several Exotic Parrot Organizations attempted to stand in front of this latest expansion of CITES regulations. You may have recalled an information note on your Vets Information Board and a request that your sign a petition that stated you where against the expansion of CITES regulations and inclusion of additional Exotic Parrots to the existing list of endangered species.

Sadly, when our Groups spoke before Congress, they were defined by PETA as only being interested in protecting their financial interests and not interested in the protection of endangered species. Long story short: Congress did not take them seriously and ā€˜approvedā€™ the expansion of the CITES Regulated.

Now, CITES Regulations are coming home to roost and the potential costs are beginning to set-in and with hope our Congress /Government may reconsider whether this new ā€˜internationalā€™ effort to regulate /control /halt the Exotic Parrot market in North America.

What can you do? Well youā€™re Congressmen and women are back in their Districts soon and there is always the Power of the Pen!

Not only will these regulations make it a nightmare for law enforcement, oversight government agencies at all levels, and those individuals and organization including our Vets that must incorporate all of this additional paperwork. In addition to the paperwork will be the associated costs to comply and at the end of the day, that translates into much high prices that we as the consumer will be paying.
 

GaleriaGila

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I will write my representatives, using your posts, and thank you.
 

bill_e

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I wonder if the new administration will curtail new regulation like this.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
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SailBoat

SailBoat

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That question will come to the surface when that Cabinet Head is confronted with enacting the Regulation. At this point, the US Government has not tackled any part of this Regulation and as a result the 'Costs' of enacting it is not understood.

Will this new administration enact part or all of it, or walk away from it? That will play-out over the next six months. At this point, the Wise Breeder, Transporter, Reseller, and Owner of a listed Exotic Parrot born on or after 2, January 2017 will assure that they have created the information document trail to support the requirements of the Regulation.

Why: Although some parts may never be enforce. The reality of identifying Owners of all Companion (Birds) Parrots, as with Farm based Birds will become necessary 'if' not when an Exotic Avian Flu out-break, in size, occurs within North America and a total shut-down and full halt to all transport of those Birds and Parrots needs to be set into place.

This may sound like attempting to push the want for this Regulation. I assure you that cannot be further from the truth, as I stand fully against the enactment of this Regulation. That said, I have heard and seen what happened in Western Europe this late Summer, into the Fall and continues today as pockets of Avian Flu continues though the Winter. This is the first time this Virus has survived though a Winter.

Having seen that reality in Western Europe, both Canada and the United States are greatly concern regarding a repeat of that happening in North America this coming Fall. Fear is a Very Strong Motivator!
 
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SailBoat

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Will the North American Countries Enact the extensive oversight controls as part of CITES newest regulations. That question has been raised by another member and to address his question, I have been watching for specific activities that would imply some kind of effort either to enact or not.

In a recent article by Robert Gerbelhoff of The Washington Post, the following was found:

The United States had years ago enacted the Endangered Species Act, which targets (regulates) only North America species. The original Act and the supplemental Acts that make up this Regulation have been used by different administration to affect land and water usage across the United States. It has been used by different Agencies to control industries and at the very least limit and at the far other end halt growth. It has even been used to incur great costs or redirect national and state road projects adding greatly to their costs and time to complete projects. Prior administrations and involved Agency has not been without blame for the miss use of this Act.

ā€œFor too long, the federal government has used the Endangered Species Act as a powerful legal stick ā€” pitting the environment against private interests. But weā€™re in need of effective carrots as well. Congress may need to allocate more resources compensation programs, but plenty of landowners are willing to contribute to the effort.ā€

At the end of the day, only one percent of the species that have been classified as Endangered have ā€˜reboundedā€™ to a point of being provided a lower classification. Considering that the foundation of this Act was enacted during the Nixon administration. The poor implementation of the Act is just one of its problems with not causing a greater rebound of the listed species. If anything, the Act has been mired in its own ineffective regulations and burdening paperwork.

As members of the Companion Parrot World, there is a clear understanding that when there are simple procedures in place to monitor, follow and encouraging a healthy stock of Breeding Parrots in North America. This assures, a solid base to reintroduce these Parrots into their Native Ranges. And, that is the exact structure that the new CITES Regulations look to shutdown!

With some hope, the newest administration will avoid implementing a failed approach, which is meant to eliminate the Companion Parrot market place in North America and Europe; this will assure that there is no base available to restock those Native Ranges, thus assuring the loss of Parrots World Wide!

Mass Extinction by Regulation!
 
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