Managing Montana’s bison
The bill before FWP is called the “Wild Bison Recovery Act”. This bill calls for FWP to manage bison instead of the Department of Livestock (DoL). Proponents point out that many bison do not carry the disease and should be managed like elk…more of a risk management approach that would begin the process of lowering the disease rate. Opponents feel that FWP is not equipped to deal with Brucellosis, a disease that can be harmful to cattle. However, I must vote no on HB253. Here’s why:
The reality is that FWP would have to handle bison in the exact same way as the DoL. The reason bison cannot be handled differently from what is currently being done is due to federal APHIS laws. APHIS demands that an entire cattle herd be destroyed with ONE positive test within the herd. APHIS policy does not recognize the low level risk of brucellosis transfer from bison AND elk to cattle and the various methods of risk management that are available today. If FWP take over bison management APHIS could view Montana as weak on dealing with the disease and could again lower our status as a cattle producing state. They could withhold reimbursements for losses. Without exaggeration, this would be devastating in the extreme to our cattle industry. Elk have been allowed to roam free in Montana since this state became a union and we are all used to managing elk by use of hunter harvesting and range management. Arguably, FWP could handle the elk issue better even now. But this has not been the case for bison. I think we are clearly missing out on a big opportunity to have wild bison roam on limited range that could in turn be hunted and managed similar to that of other game. This kind of management, if embraced by APHIS, could mean millions of dollars in revenue for our state and could provide money for the testing and treatment of the disease. This would be advantageous for all parties involved. But to go forth with the entire risk on the backs of our livestock owners won’t do.
We need APHIS to change their policy towards a more risk management approach to ALL wildlife, including elk and bison. We need our US Senators, Congressman and Governor to be on board to help affect this kind of APHIS change in all other states. I intend work towards this end. If we go to a more broad risk management policy, using today’s technology and grazing strategies, our best vets tell us that brucellosis rates will decline.
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