CWD is a fatal degenerative brain disease that affects members of the deer family, including moose, elk and potentially caribou....

Earlier this week, Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey signed an order banning the possession and use of natural products containing body parts or fluids from members of the deer family for the purposes of hunting in Ontario. The move, along with two other regulatory changes relating to the movement of animals and animal parts, was supposedly designed to prevent the introduction and spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Ontario. Unfortunately, these half measures fall far short of what actions should have been taken, and not only fail to address the problem, they leave outdoors retailers on the cusp of hunting season with inventories of natural deer attractants that can be sold, but no longer be used by hunters, at least in Ontario.