The Ornithological Council submitted comments to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regarding its recent proposal to restructure the fees the agency charges for quarantine services, import/export permits, and other veterinary services.

In general, the OC supports the development of a permit fee system that will cover the costs to the agency of management the permitting system and that can be adjusted annually as those costs change. Our comments did encourage APHIS to consider extending the duration of import/export permits from one year to three years, reducing the workload for ornithologists who must apply for these permits each year, and for the APHIS staff who must review and approve these permits.

Comments can be submitted to APHIS through Dec. 2. You can read the OC’s comments here.