Capitol Hill hearing on CWD

(Harrisburg) — How Chronic Wasting Disease, which affects deer and elk, first made its way into Pennsylvania, was a bone of contention during this week’s legislative hearing on what’s being done to eradicate it. 

Pennsylvania Deer Farmers Association President Jarrid Barry says claims that deer farms are to blame for Chronic Wasting Disease getting into Pennsylvania are false.

“The seemingly orchestrated blame narrative is unfortunartely nothing new to our industry.  However, to be clear, there are no definitive answers as to how CWD got into Pennsylvania,” he said.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans, whose organization was a target of Barry’s criticisms, says all in involved in deer management must work together to combat CWD.

“Captive deer and wild deer should be treated as a collective herd and the finger-pointing and buck-passing must stop,” he said.

Officials say CWD is established in PA and is not going away.