Comment Period Extended on Predator Management Tools

January 18, 2008 - Federal officials have extended the comment period to March 5 for those interested in commenting on the cancellation of two valuable predator management tools. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a petition from animal rights groups requesting the agency to cancel all uses of M-44 sodium cyanide capsules and Compound 1080. The original comment period was scheduled to expire Jan. 15; however, the new deadline is now March 5.

More than 400 comments were posted on this topic prior to the original deadline providing the necessity to extend the allowable time for the submission of comments. Opinions from both sides of the argument have been posted.

"We expect hundreds of comments from the predator advocates requesting EPA to cancel these predator control tools, so it is very important that we also have hundreds of sheep producer comments in opposition of this request," commented Peter Orwick, American Sheep Industry association (ASI) executive director. "ASI provided an informational mailing in December to sheep producers nationwide requesting comments on this critical issue."

Compound 1080 is a substance used in livestock protection collars and sodium cyanide is used in a capsulated form in M-44 ejectors. The M-44 is second only to aerial hunting in controlling coyotes for predator management in the United States. As coyotes are, by far, the number one predator, loss of a tool such as the M-44 would have a negative impact. Both substances are effective and efficient, environmentally sound predator control tools used only by trained and certified applicators.

In addition to livestock producers and organization, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies commented, urging the EPA to continue registrations of M-44 sodium cyanide capsules and the sodium fluoroacetate (compound 1080) Livestock Protection Collar (LPC). These products are valuable tools used under close scrutiny and oversight that contribute to our member agencies' wildlife management goals and objectives related to predation management and resource conservation. All 50 State Fish and Wildlife Agencies are member of the Association.

Comments can be submitted through March 5 and can be done electronically at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648039c549. You will be asked to identify your comments by docket identification number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0944.

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