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Courtesy of NAA:

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and U.S. Representative Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (D-GA) led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) urging the agency to streamline the permitting process to allow livestock and aquaculture producers greater flexibility in protecting their animals from avian predators shielded under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

“We recognize there are federal processes in place for affected producers to manage protected avian predators. However, these processes are often insufficient to adequately address the problem,” members wrote in the letter.

Some predatory birds protected under the MBTA, such as double-crested cormorants, black vultures and ravens, can inflict serious harm upon livestock and fish. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates double-crested cormorants cause more than $25 million in damage annually for the aquaculture industry. USDA has also reported that black vultures are responsible for 10 percent of all calves lost to predators. While producers are permitted to use certain methods to protect their animals against these birds, the current permitting process is onerous for farmers and is often not enough to prevent loss or deter further predation.

“With populations of each species numbering well in the millions, they are thriving and face no immediate or foreseeable threat of extinction. It is incumbent upon the FWS to consider the growing economic losses inflicted upon livestock and aquaculture producers by these birds,” members wrote.

In addition to Boozman and Bishop, the letter is signed by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), David Perdue (R-GA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and U.S. Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Rick Allen (R-GA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Liz Cheney (R-WY), Tom Cole (R-OK), James Comer (R-KY), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Michael Guest (R-MS), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Trent Kelly (R-MS), Billy Long (R-MO), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Austin Scott (R-GA), Jason Smith (R-MO), Mike Turner (R-OH), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR).

To read, download the letter and share the letter with your Senator or Representative if they have not signed on, click here.  To find your Senator or Representative, click on Senate or House.