WASHINGTON, D.C. – The use of a predator control devise used to manage predation in livestock has come under increasing attack by animal and environmental activists.
A recent response from congressional leaders is demanding the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) roll-back it’s ban on purchasing or deploying M-44 sodium cyanide ejector devices.
The agency included language prohibiting the use of M-44 devices by third parties in the USDA’s Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Package signed into law earlier this year.
The United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) stopped the use of M-44 devices that deliver sodium cyanide on the public lands it manages, which covers more than 245 million acres.
M-44 devices are used by ranchers and farmers, mainly sheep and goat producers, for predator control. These devices are a management tool and protect herds from coyotes, foxes, and feral dogs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has continuously approved the use of these safe and effective devices by state agencies in the past.
Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) were among those signing the letter to USDA demanding the agency roll-back its ban on purchasing or deploying M-44 sodium cyanide ejector devices.
“American ranchers are the foundation of our food and economic security, and we must promote policies that protect their viability. It is estimated that if Texas and Wyoming ranchers could better control predation, it could result in over $100 million in farm gate sales,” the members wrote. “In Wyoming alone, predator losses amounted to 47.3 percent of all sheep and lamb deaths. The continued production of M-44 devices is well within the law and is important to ensure ranchers have access to this safe and effective predation tool.”
Co-signers of this letter include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and U.S. Representatives Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Chip Roy (R-Texas), and Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota).
Full text of the letter can be found here.
