Commissioner Miller on Scimetrics' Withdrawal of Feral Hog Bait Registration (4/25/2017)

Today, while touring wildfire damage in the Texas Panhandle, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller released the following statement regarding Scimetrics request to withdraw their state registration of  Kaput Feral Hog Bait:

“As a privately-owned company, Scimetrics is wholly within its right to ask for their product registration to be withdrawn, effectively prohibiting its use in the State of Texas.  While this request is unfortunate, the Texas Department of Agriculture respects their position and will close the registration.  However, the debate over feral hog bait has always been over issues larger than just one product.” 

“As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I am disappointed that landowners, farmers and ranchers will lose this tool to fight back against the growing economic threat of feral hogs.  Unfortunately, it seems that once again  the hard working folks who turn the dirt and work from sunup to sundown have fallen victim to lawyers, environmental radicals and the misinformed.  Once again, politically correct urban media hacks and naysayers win out against the rural folks who produce the food and fiber everyone needs."

"This is just another kick in the teeth for rural Texas."

"As Ag Commissioner, I stand with the Texas Farm Bureau and other ag industry leaders in continuing the fight to give our farmers and ranchers the tools they need get the feral hog population under control.   Each day we are forced to wait is another day the hog population increases and more crops and livestock are damaged. We will never know if this product may or may not have been the right solution, but there are similar products in the pipeline.  And I will again be the first to support them because our farmers and ranchers need it and that's who I represent.”