Inspection fees petition
The Ostrich Industry needs your help!
The Ostrich industry in the USA is penalised by unnecessary inspection fees which add on
average $120 (at retail) to the overall prices of Ostriches.
Given that there is on average of 55 - 60 pounds of premium meat per bird, this approximates
to $2.00 per pound of Ostrich meat.
These fees also increase the cost of other Ostrich products including Ostrich Leather, feathers,
dusters and Ostrich Oil.
These fees are not paid by any other major agriculture group in the USA. Chicken, Pork, Beef,
Turkey or Lamb farmers do not pay these fees and therefore the price of Ostrich meat and Ostrich
products is artificially high.
No other country in the world apply such fees and therefore producers in the USA are not competing
on a level playing field.
We need your help to remove these fees.
It does not cost anything to sign the petition below - and please ask your friends, colleagues,
associates and family to sign the petition as well.
A recent bill - number HR 4828 in the 105th Congress did not make it to the floor.
Ostriches On Line are therefore requesting about 5 minutes of your time to add your name to
our petition, write to your congressman and to write to your senator.
HR 765 - 106th Congress
20 March 1999 - Newsflash.
The Ratite Industry Petition is being reintroduced in the 106th Congress.
This is great news and the new bill number is HR 765.
All the information below refers to HR 4828 from the 105th Congress - and we will update it
as soon as we have all the wording for the new petiton.
In the meantime - please continue to sign the petition - every name counts - and when you write
to your Congressman, please refer to the new number HR 765.
HR 4828 - 105th Congress
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4828
To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the order
Ratitae that are raised for use as human food.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 13, 1998
Mr. THOMPSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
A BILL
To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the order Ratitae that are raised
for use as human food.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF POULTRY TO INCLUDE RATITES.
(a) DEFINITION OF POULTRY- Section 4(e) of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(e))
is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: "The term includes birds of the
order Ratitae, such as ostriches, emus, and rheas, that are raised for distribution in commerce
as human food.'.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION OF AMENDMENT- Beginning 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
establishments in the United States that slaughter or process birds of the order Ratitae for
distribution in commerce as human food shall be subject to the ante mortem and post mortem
inspection , reinspection and sanitation requirements of the Poultry Products Inspection Act
(21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) rather than the voluntary poultry inspection program of the Department of
Agriculture under section 203 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622).
What to do
Even though the bill did not make it to the floor, it will be reintroduced in the 106th Congress.
It is crucial that your senator and congress representative is aware of the bill - and will support it!!
In the first instance, sign the electronic petition below.
After you have signed the petition, send an email to your senator - a list of senators will be
displayed on the next page - just click on the appropriate name.
In your email or letter by mail, be fair, reasonable and literate.
After that, look up your local congress representative and send them a written letter or an
email - details will be provided on the next page.
Here is a sample letter - please feel free to copy it and send it. Ensure that your name, full
address and telephone number is included. If you have a fax number include that as well.
A copy of this letter will also be sent to you via email after you have signed the petition
together with a list of senators and the addresses of congress members.
Sample letter
Date
Your name
Your address
Your city, state and zip
Your phone and fax
Your email
To
Senator name
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Ref: Agriculture - Ostriches, Ostrich farming and a proposed Bill
Dear Senator,
Ostrich farming in the USA is penalised by unnecessary inspection
fees.
Bill number HR 4828 was introduced by Mr Thompson which would have
amended the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the
order Ratitae that are raised for use as human food.
Ratitae include Ostriches, Emus, Rheas and Cassowaries.
Ostrich meat is a very healthy red meat and is being consumed in
ever larger quantities throughout the USA and the world. However,
the fees which are currently being charged unnecessarily inflate
the price which the consumer pays.
This is severely hampering Ostrich farmers throughout the United
States and is causing US businesses to loose out on export
orders due to an uneven playing field.
Jobs are being lost as a result of these fees.
No other country in the world imposes these kind of fees on the
processing of Ratitae and I am counting on your support to amend
the Act when this bill is brought before you.
I will be delighted to discuss this further should you require
more information.
Yours sincerely
Your name
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