Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov

For Immediate Release: June 23, 2006

Agriculture Inspectors Take Part in Wild Goose Chase

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – State officials have been on a wild goose chase this week – a wild Canadian Goose chase. Over 500 geese are being rounded up from across the state as part of the Department of Conservation’s Nuisance Goose Round-up and Removal efforts. The program, now in its sixth year, helps Missouri cities rid themselves of the beautiful, but pesky waterfowl that overtake lakes and parks, leaving piles of undesired and possibly contaminated droppings underfoot.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is in its second year of involvement in the program. Following MDC’s initial round-up of the birds, MDA’s Missouri Meat and Poultry Inspection Program (MMPIP) has inspectors overseeing the dressing of the geese for shipment to state food banks. Susan Lowder, a five-year inspector with MMPIP, is directly involved to ensure sanitary dressing and packaging of the birds prior to shipment.

“This really is a necessary program in Missouri,” said Lowder. “There are individuals who don’t understand the need for the removal of the creatures, but the cities having to deal with them know all too well what a problem they can be. This program not only assists in cleaning up public areas, but it also assists the food banks in supplying nutritional meat to needy families.”

Once the geese are trapped, they are transported to a state-inspected poultry processing plant in Aurora. It is there that Lowder and the MMPIP take over. Each bird is carefully and individually inspected for any signs of disease or adulteration. Once the carcass is determined safe for human consumption, it is packaged, labeled and readied for shipment. The meat will be delivered to the Central Missouri Food Bank in Columbia, as well as other state food banks yet to be determined.

Dr. Harold Treese, MMPIP Director, said he is happy his crew is involved in this program. “It is possible for humans and geese to coexist amicably, but not when the geese make it impossible for people to enjoy public areas,” he said. “This cooperative effort helps control animal overpopulation and helps feed Missouri families at the same time.”

For more information regarding the Missouri Department of Agriculture or the Missouri Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, please visit the web site at www.mda.mo.gov/Animals/mmpip.htm or call (573) 522-1242.

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