Shipping Birds -- Help Improve And Expand Shipping Birds -- Help Improve And Expand
Mail Service For Game Birds & Waterfowl!
In recent years legislation has been introduced (e. g., by Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee), that would help improve bird shipping service by the post office. It important that each every game bird breeder ask her/his representative in Congress to contact the post office on your behalf on the matter of shipping birds. Tell your congressional representatives that the post office should improve and expand its service for shipping birds to meet the important economic and educational needs of the public. We believe the post office is required by law to maintain mail service for birds (as provided in the DMM) at an efficient and reliable level for all communities in the country. It's great that Fedex and UPS are now carrying live birds for the post office, but the post office should place all air carriers on notice now that contracts for carrying the mail will only be renewed for those airlines or air carriers who agree to transport all of the mail. No more "picking and choosing" from air carriers (as in the past) under contract from the post office because of protests and political pressure from humane groups or animal rights protestors. We must insist that statutes requiring efficient mail delivery be continue to be observed regardless of what animal right fanatics are demanding.
Contacting our congressional representatives will result in positive action because congress has oversight authority over the post office and can effect change to meet the needs of the citizenry. Top officials of the Postal Service in Washington, D.C. carefully listen to and respond when they receive an inquiry from a congressman/women on behalf of a constituent. On the other hand, contacting the postal service as a citizen directly might not result in any action. Remember that members of congress are usually eager to help where they can because they want your vote!
Points that we need our congressional representatives to take up with the post office include the following, and you can undoubtedly think of others:
1. We want to first be sure that our representatives in Congress are aware that the post office has been accepting game birds and waterfowl as mail for many years (provided for in the Domestic Mail Manual) but that bird shipping service must be improved and expaned. The U. S. Post office specifically provides for the mailing of adult quail, pheasants, partridges, pigeons, doves, ducks, geese, and swans and is obligated to provice efficient service to all communities in the country. It is important to point out your reps in Congress that quail, pheasants (including peafowl), partridges, doves, pigeons, ducks, etc. are mailable as outlined in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). Also, that the post office is required to provide prompt, reliable and efficent service. Members of Congress will already know this but may not be aware of the unbusinesslike way the post office has been handling its contracts with air carriers.
2. It is our position that the U. S. Postal Service should only enter into (or renew) transport contracts with air carriers who will transport game birds and waterfowl eligible for mailing as described in the Domestic Mail Manual (quail, pheasants, partridges, pigeons, doves, ducks, geese, swans). This is only common business sense.
3. Tell your reps in congress that hundreds of thousands of people depend on mail delivery of game birds and waterfowl for their businesses and hobbies, including yourself if that is the case. Improved and expanded mail service for game birds is also important for schools, universities, 4-H, and education in general. It is also important for the preservation and conservation of many species that bloodlines be exchanged between breeders in different parts of the country and that mail service is essential for this to continue to take place.
Phoning, mailing a letter, or faxing your representatives (you can also talk with one of their staff members who will be happy to write down your concerns) in Congress is most effective in letting them know how you feel on issues important to you. This is because a letter or phone call is something that's hard to ignore! However, if your time is limited, you can also send an e-mail to them. To quickly find, send an e-mail to, or otherwise contact your representative in the House of Representatives go to www.house.gov/writerep/. You can quickly find your two senators by going to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm Tell everyone you know about this and let's get our shipping service improved -- it's so important for breeders, educators, students, the preservation of our birds, and for future generations of game bird and waterfowl breeders and hobbyists!
Other helpful links:
Shipping And Receiving Ducks, Quail, Pheasants & Other Gamebirds