Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bob Crook, Capitol lobbyist for the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsman and editor of “Hook ‘n Bullet,” the bible of Bambi blasters, warns that the state Department of Public Health wants to make it harder for hunters to donate deer meat to soup kitchens, as they have for years.
He’s hoping, though, to push legislation that would make it easier for hunters, by freeing up about $25,000 so hunters don’t have to pay $60 to $75 to butcher a deer that’s headed for a soup kitchen.
“I understand that that the DPH wants to impose federal food standards on donations. We’re opposed to that. We passed this bill about 10 years ago and we donate about 6,000 to 10,000 pounds of deer meat a year. There’s never been a problem. Nationwide there’s never been a problem. We’ll fight those federal standards because there’s no problem.
There are a lot of guys who could shoot a lot more deer. We could supply soup kitchens with more meat for a buck, a buck twenty five. Ninety five percent of the country has this program.If you impose USDA standards, where it has to be stamped and marked, it’ll turn into a bureaucracy and there’ll never be any meat donated to soup kitchens.If the state would support that with $25K we could get more deer.”
This probably isn’t the best fiscal atmosphere to ask for more funding for anything, but it makes sense, can feed the hungry and remove more deer for the pool headed for your front bumper on the parkway.
How long does it take to have a comment “approved” – I posted one early today. NJ
Not only is this not the year to ask for more funding from the state legislature, it doesn’t even make sense! What would make anyone think that killing some deer will eliminate others from being involved in *DVAs….the remaining deer can’t end up on anyone’s front bumper? Besides, why should I have to subsidize a sport of which I do not approve and don’t like the idea that a hunting lobby is against meat safety?
*DVA – Deer Vehicle Accident
Taxpayer dollars toward butchering deer to be donated to soup kitchens….forgeddaboudid!
I’ve talked to someone at a soup kitchen and was told that they grind up venison to mix into the ground beef to disguise the gamey flavor, and even then it isn’t very appreciated!
Why would “sportsmen” be opposed to the DPH’s requiring federal food standards to apply to donated venison?
It is one thing for hunters to be exempt from eating uninspected venison – they know the possible consequences; those that frequent soup kitchens do not, although they are supposed to be informed of the risks (but are they?)
On Ted Nugent’s site, many bowhunters are queasy about eating their own kills, so they donate the venison to soup kitchens…what generosity!
Does anyone care that the indigent segment of our society is served venison that doesn’t require inspection?
Their health may have been affected by poor diet and to bombard their already compromised immune systems with unknown entities is irresponsible – a double standard is applied to the poor and to those who can afford to purchase inspected venison.
Does anyone know that venison that is sold to the public or served in restaurants/country clubs must be inspected and isn’t supplied by hunters but comes from deer farms where deer get some sort of veterinary care and the feed is controlled?
To say that so far, there have been no problems with serving venison is arrogant; when poor people get sick no one may even know about it; when they die, it is assumed to be many other reasons than possibly venison – we may never know who gets sick and who dies from ingesting toxin-laden venison, or what kind of cumulative effect these toxins may have – it’s not like autopsies are routinely peformed!
Dr. Galvin from the CT Department of Public Health opposed the feeding of uninspected venison in soup kitchen – but does anyone care? NO.
Hunters care only about killing for recreation, using the food for the poor hungry as a ruse to make killing more palatable and accepted by the general public.
I don’t want a single penny of my taxes to support anything to do with hunting or serving the poor with questionable venison. My husband and I donate real dollars to the hungry with which they can purchase food that they really want and will actually enjoy eating!
If hunters want to continue their good guys propaganda, let them pay for the butchering fees themselves….I understand that many landowners are already funding it in “gratitude” to hunters for ridding them of those pesky deer that eat their tulips!