01/17/08 Cattlemen seek predator loss compensation

Washington Ag January 17, 2008 For years Washington state has compensated farmers for crop damage caused by wildlife. That has not been the case for livestock producers. And it is something Jack Field, Executive Vice President of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, says they hope to change during this legislative session. Field says Representative Joel Kretz is sponsoring House Bill 1147. Field: "What 1147 is designed to do is to provide compensation to commercial producers of cattle, horses and sheep should those animals be damaged or killed by cougars, bears or wolves. The issue of compensation has become a huge priority as we not only look at the issue of cougar and bear damage but now most recently, and in the spotlight, the issues of wolf sighting and wolf depredations here in Washington state." A fiscal note from the 2007 legislative session estimated the annual cost of a livestock compensation program about approximately 477-thousand dollars. Field says the WCA will also try to obtain more pass-through funding for USDA's Wildlife Services. Field: "We were successful last year in obtaining 50-thousand dollars that was used for predator control in eastern Washington and we are hoping to be successful again this year." I'm Bob Hoff.