This is the email I sent to Dr. Gipson.
 
>Dr. Gipson
>I am writing to ascertain the status of the ferret specific
>regulations that were the subject of a USDA notice last year.
>Responses to the USDA's call for comment clearly showed that the
>public feels there is an urgent need for such regulations to be
>developed, yet a year after the call for comments was published,
>there has apparently been little progress towards this goal.
>
>Rumors are that this issue will be dealt with using the simple
>expedient of a 8 week shipping age for ALL warm blooded mammals not
>otherwise covered.  While this might help deal with the issue of
>underage ferret kits in pet stores, it does not include a provision
>for dental aging, does not meet the other specific needs of the
>ferret, and does a huge disservice to other mammals whose maturation
>rates differ greatly.
>
>As one of the signers of the original petition submitted to the USDA
>in March of 2004 (nearly 2 1/2 years ago!), the International Ferret
>Congress is deeply concerned about the lack of attention to the
>ferrets' true needs.
>
>Could you please let us know what your agency will do with regard to
>ferret regulations that will be meaningful and useful in protecting
>this increasingly popular pet?
 
and here is the reply I got from his underling.
 
>Hi,
>
>Dr. Gipson has asked me to reply to your note of concern.  Initially
>we thought that we could propose a regulation that would single out
>ferret's transportation age and the requirement for a health
>certificate.  However, it was discovered that another staff officer
>had a proposed rule in the agency clearance process that would
>establish a rule stating that all warm blooded mammals must (1) be
>weaned, and (2) transported at no less than 8 weeks of age.
>
>It was decided that this rule would be more efficient and may get
>to the public quicker than a rule that just applied to ferrets.
>We have not made any further decisions on the health certificate
>issue, but hope to include in with another rule in the future.
>
>Hope this clears up the confusion.
 
My response to him:
 
>Thank you for your quick reply.
>
>I understand simply adding an 8 week requirement to the general
>warm blooded mammal section may be expedient. However, as I stated
>below, it does not address the specific needs of ferret, which were
>outlined in great detail in our original petition, and in the many
>letters that were sent to the USDA on this issue.
>
>A large number of ferret lovers devoted a great deal of time in
>expressing their concerns and presenting information to the USDA.
>Very little opposition to ferret specific regulations was expressed.
>It is the agency's responsibility to the public to address these
>issues in a timely and complete fashion.
>
>I hope my concerns will be presented to those who are making this
>decision.
 
Linda Iroff
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5322]