In all honesty, ALL of the large farms that I have read about use similar shipping methods. It doesn't make sense to go after only one for it. What makes sense is to make sure that shipping age and method laws are better so that all farms and distributors will have to be more careful. One reason that this is the only logical way to handle it is because MF used to be the only farm which actually shipped and sold kits at older ages (8 weeks and sometimes older). It was forced to reduce the age because it simply lost too many sales to the other farms which were selling 5 and 6 week old kits. (I know which was the first farm to do that in the N.E., too, and it wasn't MF by a long shot.) Pet stores like having the extra bundle-of-fluff sales weeks so the pet stores WANTED the kits at young ages and when other farms sold at those young ages the rest of the farms (MF included) were forced to go along and do it, too, to survive in the pet portion of their field. Alicia has gotten NH to have an 8 minimum age for transport and sale. This is logical. It went through without opposition, partly because she did her preparation work and did it well, and partly because 8 weeks simply is logical. At the Niagara Falls Forum she taught people how to do this, and she will again at the 2003 International Ferret Congress Symposium. I have heard little bits about efforts in two states (Maryland and Maine) trying to also raise their ages. These legislative efforts have worked. It can be done; it has been done; it can be done again. [Posted in FML issue 4007]