Pete Sessions: “I rise today in order to bring attention to a problem that unfortunately goes largely unnoticed except by those who are…”

“I rise today in order to bring attention to a problem that unfortunately goes largely unnoticed except by those who are directly affected. Livestock and food animal producers, pet owners, zoo and wildlife biologists, and animals themselves face a severe shortage of approved animal drugs for use in minor species. Minor species include thousands of animal species, including all fish, most birds, and sheep. By definition, minor species are any animals other than the major species--cattle, horses, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and cats. A similar shortage of drugs and medicines for major animal species exists for diseases that occur infrequently or which occur in limited geographic areas. Due to the lack of availability for these minor use drugs, millions of animals go untreated or treatment is delayed. Unnecessary animal physical and human emotional suffering results, and human health may be threatened as well. Without access to these necessary minor use drugs, farmers and ranchers also suffer. An unhealthy animal that is left untreated can spread disease throughout an entire stock of its fellow specie. This causes severe economic hardship to struggling ranchers and farmers. For example, sheep ranchers lost nearly $42 million worth of livestock alone in 2002. The sheep industry estimates that if it had access to effective and necessary drugs to treat diseases, growers' reproduction costs for their animals would be cut by up to 15 percent.”