Lisette wrote:
>What was of particular importance to me, despite the various topics, was
>that the USDA seems to be basically worthless.  I was really dismayed for
>all animals upon learning about the USDA in this article.  Why are there
>not more citations on Marshall Farms than there have been if they are so
>awful throughout the years?  Read this article to find out.  Go to
>Excite.com, and type in The Marshall Farms Story...
>The good news is that the USDA is being sued for their atrocious conduct
>by the Doris Day Animal League.
 
Excuse me for having to mention it, but this is getting circular on the
parts of the quoted animal right groups.  They can't have it both ways --
quoting old USDA reports, then when they don't put up the more current
stuff saying that it doesn't count because the USDA stinks.  That would
leave us with nothing but innuendo, rumor, suppositions, speculations, and
inventions.  I REALLY think that we need to wait and to work to get current
USDA reports on EACH of the major farms.  We need SOMETHING which is firm
and which has a constant basis for evaluation.  We also have to balance
things against the dangers of the assorted multiple farms (MF is not a
stand-alone.) returning to things like being fitch fur farms and ever
heavier lab suppliers, and against the also very, very real danger of
increasing the business of the backyard breeders who are so much worse than
the farms.  It's one heck of a hard balance to try to reach, but balance IS
needed to be successful to any degree.  Let's wait for current reports on
the various farms okay?
 
IMPORTANT QUESTION: I know that there are MF, Triple F, Path Valley, but i
seem to recall that there's at least one more in the U.S.  Anyone know what
I am thinking of but can't crystalize?  Hagan is all in Canada, right?
 
Working from current and accurate data is working from a position of
strength.
 
Betty, LOVED your reminder that people need to tackle local (town, county,
state) issues in relation to backyard breeders!  YES!  Progress can be made
in very significant ways with such hard dedicated and loving work for
ferrets!  May I add that there are disreputable distributors who also need
to be tackled locally, given how these things currently are handled?  There
was one here in NJ which was importing fur fitch stock from NZ years ago
and had horrid conditions.  It is essential to support or be involved in
such action to help ferrets.  It would be wonderful to have backyard
breeders and such fly-by-night distributors fall under ANY federal
regulations -- beyond a few which get used now and then when possible --
and be prosecuted that way and banned nationally for continuing bad
practises instead of just moving from town to town, county to county, or
state to state.  That would help our animal companions.
 
M-cubed, your post on the differences between reporting and press releases
was excellent.  I, too, have done both, and you got them down to a "T".
Beautifully stated.
[Posted in FML issue 3182]