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If you raise bunnies the USDA may fine you $4 MILLION under secret law!

Melensdad

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
Well this is just too good to be true and will probably send chills down the spines of every 4-H member who raises any sort of livestock, be it ducks, fancy roosters, rabbits or whatever. Apparently there are some super-secret regulations that the USDA doesn't bother to publish, but can land you in financial hot water.

You really should read the whole story, its insane! LINK => http://biggovernment.com/bmccarty/2011/05/20/family-facing-4-million-in-fines-for-selling-bunnies/
bunnies.jpg

About six years ago, the Dollarhites wanted to teach their young teenage son responsibility and the value of the dollar. So they rescued a pair of rabbits — one male and one female — and those rabbits did what rabbits do; they reproduced. Before long, things were literally hopping on the three-acre homestead 30 miles south of Springfield, and Dollarvalue Rabbitry was launched as more of a hobby than a business. . .

. . .

By the year’s end, the Dollarhites had moved approximately 440 rabbits and grossed about $4,600 for a profit of approximately $200 — enough, John said, to provide the family “pocket money” to do things such as eat out at Red Lobster once in a while. That was better than the loss they experienced in 2008.

Then some unexpected matters began demanding their attention.
It’s an understatement to describe the Dollarhites as being “beyond surprised” when, in the fall of 2009, a female inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed up at the front door of the family home, wanting to do a “spot inspection” of their rabbitry. . .

. . .

“He said, ‘Well, it’s because you’re selling rabbits and you’ve exceeded more than $500 dollars in a year,’” John said, “and I went, ‘Okay, what does that have to do with anything?’”

. . .

“She said, ‘Well, Mr. Dollarhite, I’ve got the report on my desk, and I’m just gonna tell you that, once I review it, it’s our intent to prosecute you to the maximum that we can’ and that ‘we will make an example out of you.”

. . .

Recently, the Dollarhites received a “Certified Mail Return Receipt” letter (dated April 19, 2011) from the USDA informing them that they had broken the law and must pay USDA a fine of $90,643. Their crime? Violating violating 9 C.F.R. § 2.1 (a) (1): Selling more than $500 worth of rabbits in a calendar year.

At this point, Dollarvalue Rabbitry is expected to produced a $90,643 certified check to cover the fine issued by the Department of Agriculture. . .

. . . the family could be fined as much as $10,000 per rabbit beyond the first 50 bunnies that netted the family its first $500. Do the math (390 rabbits x $10,000 each) and, if they don’t pay the initial fine, they could face additional fines totaling $3.9 million.
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That is so bizarre that it's probably true. Must have been sponsored by a liberal democrat pandering to the PETA lobby. I gotta check this out to see if it's real.
 
It seems that what got there butts in a crack was selling to a pet store. Or at least that is how I read the reg. It is published, but I have to think this a bit of an overreach on the governments part.

Below is the pertinent regulation:
Sec. 2.1 Requirements and application. (a)(1) Any person operating or desiring to operate as a dealer, exhibitor, or operator of an auction sale, except persons who are exempted from the licensing requirements under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, must have a valid license. A person must be 18 years of age or older to obtain a license. A person seeking a license shall apply on a form which will be furnished by the AC Regional Director in the State in which that person operates or intends to operate. The applicant shall provide [[Page 14]] the information requested on the application form, including a valid mailing address through which the licensee or applicant can be reached at all times, and a valid premises address where animals, animal facilities, equipment, and records may be inspected for compliance. The applicant shall file the completed application form with the AC Regional Director. (2) If an applicant for a license or license renewal operates in more than one State, he or she shall apply in the State in which he or she has his or her principal place of business. All premises, facilities, or sites where such person operates or keeps animals shall be indicated on the application form or on a separate sheet attached to it. The completed application form, along with the application fee indicated in paragraph (d) of this section, and the annual license fee indicated in table 1 or 2 of Sec. 2.6 shall be filed with the AC Regional Director. (3) The following persons are exempt from the licensing requirements under section 2 or section 3 of the Act: (i) Retail pet stores which sell nondangerous, pet-type animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, gophers, domestic ferrets, chinchilla, rats, and mice, for pets, at retail only: Provided, That, Anyone wholesaling any animals, selling any animals for research or exhibition, or selling any wild, exotic, or nonpet animals retail, must have a license; (ii) Any person who sells or negotiates the sale or purchase of any animal except wild or exotic animals, dogs, or cats, and who derives no more than $500 gross income from the sale of such animals to a research facility, an exhibitor, a dealer, or a pet store during any calendar year and is not otherwise required to obtain a license; (iii) Any person who maintains a total of three (3) or fewer breeding female dogs and/or cats and who sells only the offspring of these dogs or cats, which were born and raised on his or her premises, for pets or exhibition, and is not otherwise required to obtain a license; (iv) Any person who sells fewer than 25 dogs and/or cats per year which were born and raised on his or her premises, for research, teaching, or testing purposes or to any research facility and is not otherwise required to obtain a license. The sale of any dog or cat not born and raised on the premises for research purposes requires a license; (v) Any person who arranges for transportation or transports animals solely for the purpose of breeding, exhibiting in purebred shows, boarding (not in association with commercial transportation), grooming, or medical treatment, and is not otherwise required to obtain a license; (vi) Any person who buys, sells, transports, or negotiates the sale, purchase, or transportation of any animals used only for the purposes of food or fiber (including fur); (vii) Any person who breeds and raises domestic pet animals for direct retail sales to another person for the buyer's own use and who buys no animals for resale and who sells no animals to a research facility, an exhibitor, a dealer, or a pet store (e.g., a purebred dog or cat fancier) and is not otherwise required to obtain a license; (viii) Any person who buys animals solely for his or her own use or enjoyment and does not sell or exhibit animals, or is not otherwise required to obtain a license; (b) Any person who sells fewer than 25 dogs or cats per year for research or teaching purposes and who is not otherwise required to obtain a license may obtain a voluntary license, provided the animals were born and raised on his or her premises. A voluntary licensee shall comply with the requirements for dealers set forth in this part and the Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Dogs and Cats set forth in part 3 of this subchapter and shall agree in writing on a form furnished by APHIS to comply with all the requirements of the Act and this subchapter. Voluntary licenses will not be issued to any other persons. To obtain a voluntary license the applicant shall submit to the AC Regional Director the application fee of $10 plus an annual license fee. The class of license issued and the fee for a voluntary license shall be that of a Class ``A'' licensee (breeder). Voluntary licenses will not be issued to any other persons or for any other class of license.

Maybe jpr can look at it and see what got the USDA's panties in a wad.
 
Federal regulation aside, these folks sold 440 animals from 2005 to 2009. That's about 100 per year. To think you're not gonna garner some attention from the USDA with that kind of volume over 4+ years is moronic.
 
jpr62902 said:
Federal regulation aside, these folks sold 440 animals from 2005 to 2009. That's about 100 per year. To think you're not gonna garner some attention from the USDA with that kind of volume over 4+ years is moronic.
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Why is it that people think these regulations are put in place simply to make people's lives and businesses difficult? An act by The Man to keep good honest folk subdued?

Every single one of these types of regulation has a historical reason for existing. Without them we would still be living in the 1900's world of Upton Sinclair and Waybomb wouldn't have the ability be be so damn proud of his hot dogs.
 
DaveNay said:
Why is it that people think these regulations are put in place simply to make people's lives and businesses difficult? An act by The Man to keep good honest folk subdued?

Every single one of these types of regulation has a historical reason for existing. Without them we would still be living in the 1900's world of Upton Sinclair and Waybomb wouldn't have the ability be be so damn proud of his hot dogs.
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Or how about the genetic mutation from inbreeding evidenced by this comment in the article cited by the OP:

Initially, the Dollarhites sold the large, white, pink-eyed variety of rabbits.
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jpr62902 said:
Federal regulation aside, these folks sold 440 animals from 2005 to 2009. That's about 100 per year. To think you're not gonna garner some attention from the USDA with that kind of volume over 4+ years is moronic.
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:yum::yum:They sold only about 440 rabbits, or appr 100 rabbits per year. You do realize how quickly rabbits reproduce? This is actually a small volume of sales for a rabbit farm.
 
loboloco said:
:yum::yum:They sold only about 440 rabbits, or appr 100 rabbits per year. You do realize how quickly rabbits reproduce? This is actually a small volume of sales for a rabbit farm.
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Yes I do, hence, my prior comment about genetic problems from inbreeding .....
 
I actually had a breeding/meat operation in my teens. I had 80 does and ten bucks. All of the offspring were sold for fur and meat so I only had to deal with the minimum state requirements. I was a small operation even back then(Yeah, i know, stone age) and actually had advice from the Extension Service on how to do it all. even back then though, I couldn't sell to pet stores. Different requirements. Most of my rabbits produced 6 per litter and I only bred them 4 times a year, but did it so that I had a constant cycle of coneys available for processing. I am quite sure I exceeded the 500.00 limit, but since the Extension service advised me on what I had to have, the government can only blame itself. In a one year period, I would produce appr 1900 rabbits per year. About 90% would survive to become gloves. So, 100 per year was basically a back yard operation.
 
My mother had the old records. I made gross 2400.00 in one year with an expense 0f 1500.00. Not bad for the times.
 
loboloco said:
... I made gross 2400.00 in one year with an expense 0f 1500.00...
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$900.00 profit in one year! That qualifies as a "windfall" profit and, like the oil companies, you would face a special tax surcharge.

With interest and penalties, you now owe the USDA the entire US National Debt. Please send a Certified Cashiers Check by next Tuesday, Monday being a national holiday you get 1 extra day of grace period.
 
Pay quick! Congress wants a check for coming up with all these crazy rules before summer recess kicks in!
 
Melensdad said:
$900.00 profit in one year! That qualifies as a "windfall" profit and, like the oil companies, you would face a special tax surcharge.

With interest and penalties, you now owe the USDA the entire US National Debt. Please send a Certified Cashiers Check by next Tuesday, Monday being a national holiday you get 1 extra day of grace period.
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:yum::yum:They're SOL, the statute of limitations ran out 20 years ago.
 
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