Posted September 24, 2013
Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR) recently introduced
H.R. 3105, the Aquaculture Risk Reduction Act, which provides an exemption for
producers in cases of accidental inclusion of undocumented animals in shipments
of fish across state lines. The text of the
bill is available here.
In a press release available here,
Crawford said, “No farmer should face the threat of criminal prosecution by the
federal government for simply doing their job.
However, today this is the case in the aquaculture industry – with the
threat of legal action in the case of minor, even accidental Lacey Act
infractions. The Lacey Act is a
well-intentioned law, passed in the year 1900, but is in great need of
modernizing to accommodate 21st century agriculture.”
The Lacey Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 41-48 is a federal statute
originally intended to protect wildlife, deter unlawful trade, and curb the introduction
of harmful invasive species. The Lacey
Act was amended in 1981, 16 U.S.C. 3371-3378, which broadened its application
to all “wild” animals, including fish and amphibians, even when “bred, hatched,
or born in captivity.” In 2008, plants
were included in the scope of the Act.
