Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioners (LWFC) passed a Notice of Intent (NOI) expanding the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) control area once again.
The group unanimously passed the measure at their April 3 meeting after hearing from state representatives and citizens who voiced their concerns over the economic impacts of the control area.
The CWD control area now covers Caldwell Parish, parts of southern Richland Parish, most of Franklin Parish, parts of LaSalle, Catahoula and Concordia parishes.
Initially, the first CWD control area covered a 25-mile radius from the index case. The new control area covers a 15-mile radius from the index case. An index case is the first deer in a specific area testing positive for CWD.
One CWD infected deer in Catahoula Parish sparked the move by commissioners. This was the first hunter-harvested, white-tailed buck harvested with the disease outside Tensas Parish. Since CWD was first detected in Louisiana in 2022, there have been 40 deer detected with the disease. Majority of the CWD-detected deer have been found around Winter Quarters in Tensas Parish.
Feed ban
Commissioners also made a declaration of emergency prohibiting the supplemental feeding and baiting or placement of bait within the LDWF CWD control area which goes into effect May 1.
“We are doing something that we feel in the long run is going to have a much more significant impact to the sustainability both to the resource and the ability to hunt that resource,” said Johnathan Bordelon, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries deer program manager.
According to Kevin Sagrera, LWFC chairman, a statewide ban on food plots or supplement feeding is not in their plan.
“That is not what out protocol is,” Sagrera said before the 15-mile amendment. “Our protocol is setup to do the 25-mile feed ban and the carcus restrictions.”
Before passing the NOI, several citizens, including state legislators, spoke to the commissioners warning them of possible economic downfalls relating to the expansion.
“We have been dealing with CWD for quite a while now,” said Sen. Neil Riser, whose District 20 covers Franklin, Caldwell, Catahoula, LaSalle and Ouachita parishes. “It looks like it is going to eventually be statewide, so what we are dealing with and the precedence we set here today is going to be ongoing. If this was speckled trout or some similar disease, it would be a different response.”
Riser said he was in favor of a smaller ban, shortening the interior restricted space.
“Maybe we could move it in to where we do not hurt the economy that we have,” Riser said. “We are talking about very small and rural parishes. We are talking about corn sales or feed sales that impact us significantly a whole lot more than anybody else.”
The economic impact
Rep. Michael “Gabe” Firment, whose District 22 is Grant, LaSalle and Natchitoches parishes, also cautioned about economic impacts.
“Is this plan an appropriate response based on the available data?” Firment asked, saying, “As legislators we have to consider a lot more than that. I just want to make sure we are not burning the house down because we see one cockroach.”
Like Riser, Firment said if deer feeding is banned “a lot of people will be impacted such as farmers who raise corn. They sell corn to hunters to hunt in LaSalle, Caldwell, Catahoula and Concordia.”
Additionally, Firment asked about the need for a CWD Task Force.
“I noticed that over the past year we have had public meetings on the Oyster Task Force in New Orleans, the Alligator Advisory Task Force in Lafayette, the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force in Houma, the Louisiana Fur Advisory in Lafayette, the Crab Task Force in Houma,” Firment said. “I guess the thought that popped up in my mind: Where is the CWD Task Force? Sounds like we might need one.”
Rep. Jason DeWitt of District 25 representing Natchitoches and Rapides parishes is a former wildlife biologist. DeWitt described the potential enormity of CWD
“This is going to be big,” DeWitt said. “This is really going to affect our state. This is a generational thing that is going to affect everyone in Louisiana. Let’s get together. If we need to do a task force that’s fine. Let’s talk about some of the things we need to do and not have a shotgun approach about this.”
Family farms
Derick Guillot, a fourth generation Franklin Parish corn farmer who sells his product to hunters, also spoke about the economic downfalls associated with the CWD control area.
“The past few years have been really hard to make it in farming with the high inflation costs and the terrible grain prices,” Guillot said. “My deer corn business has been the only thing that has allowed me what I need to be profitable and to provide a life for my wife and four children.”
Guillot explained, “If you ban feeding deer 25 miles that is going to cut into my sales drastically. If it goes further than that eventually you will do away with my business and my fall and winter income that my family desperately needs to pay the bills.”
“It would also take away what’s allowed me to hang on to my family farm,” Guillot said. “But most importantly, it would take away quality time that I would get to spend with my family during my farm off season.”
Chris Freeman, a Jonesville farmer, sells deer corn.
“I would like to see the area tightened up some, so it wouldn’t affect us as much,” Freeman said. “It is going to greatly affect our bottom line. As you know, commodity prices are low. I think this is overpopulation of the deer.”
