The End Of Mailing Poultry?

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/action.asp

It's also been suggested we contact Northwest Airlines regarding their cargo policies:

http://www.nwa.com/cgi-bin/gen_cargo.pl

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 02, 2001

Answers

I think from what i have read it's not just the end of MAILING poultry,but could be the end of most of the poultry suppliers.The bulk of their business is day old chicks,without being able to ship them they're done!!

-- teri (dnsmacbeth@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

Far as I know the U.S. Postal Service will continue delivering poultry.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

That's sad. My goodness, I've ordered from McMurrys forever. Maybe Northwest will change their mind.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), August 02, 2001.

I work part-time for usps. When I got in from the route yesterday, there was a shipment of chicks waiting to go out express mail. I haven't heard that we will stop this service. I sure hope we don't!! I enjoy delivering the little critters almost as much as I like getting them myself!!! susie

-- susie yeager (susiemby@samlink.com), August 02, 2001.

Thanks Rogo for spreading the word. I was on my way over here to do the same. Just saw it on PIE & have filled out the form. Keeping my fingers crossed things won't change! :-)

-- Buk Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), August 02, 2001.

To say nothing about the danger to the diversity of poultry.

-- BB (facif10@hotmail.com), August 02, 2001.

From what I understand, the USPS has contracted to have FEDEX take over all their airline shipping as of sometime this year, and that FEDEX has said they are not interested in shipping live birds at all.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), August 02, 2001.

I think that poultry can still be trucked, but the hatcheries depend on all the business they do through air flights. It could make them go under if they can not operate in the green. It will also insure that we have limited choices from the big suppliers that sell birds that require Artificial Insemination because they are too large. You will have to go to them for new birds, just as you would have to go to the large seed company if the small ones go under. I did purchase some heritage turkeys before all this happened and will hope to get another bloodline for breeding. If you want to be independent and have your own birds, I think that the medium sized turkeys are a great choice. Nice big meal, but they are able to survive on the homestead. I understand there is dificulty with any "live" cargo after the 15th. Not sure until it happens.

-- Brenda (brenclark@alltel.net), August 02, 2001.

I called my local post office. They have received no information on any upcoming difficulty in shipping of live poultry. Suggest everyone call their local post office to try to confirm this.

They also said they have not, repeat have not, contracted with FEDEX to handle all air freight. That was just a proposal which didn't get very far in Congress. The other air carriers screamed too loud about losing the USPS business. Also, the USPS has their own cargo planes. I have seen them.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

copied from the USPS website- gee, I wonder if the $1 billion savings to the PO will be reflected in lower prices to the consumer?:

USPS News: Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 19, 2001 Release No. 01-059

Postal Service Announces National Roll-Out of FedEx Drop Boxes at Post Offices

WASHINGTON, DC — Beginning today, self-service Fed Ex Drop Boxes will be installed at post offices nationwide, implementing the first of two agreements between the Postal Service and FedEx Express.

On January 10, the Postal Service and FedEx Express formed a business alliance leveraging their two networks–-the coast-to-coast retail presence of the Postal Service and the extensive reliability of the FedEx Express air transportation network.

The retail agreement gives FedEx the opportunity to place thousands of its self-service drop boxes outside post offices. The air transportation agreement provides the Postal Service with shared access to the FedEx Express air transportation network for airport-to- airport delivery of its expedited products–Express Mail and Priority Mail–as well as First-Class Mail.

"These agreements focus on our core business–-universal access to mail services, at the best value possible for the American people. Ultimately this business alliance will strengthen the Postal Service, help it manage its costs, grow revenue and improve services," said Patricia M. Gibert, Postal Service Vice President of Retail, Consumers and Small Business.

The Postal Service expects to save about $1 billion in its air transportation costs and more than double the market reach of its Express Mail next-day, and Priority two-day services. FedEx Express has available capacity during the day that meets postal requirements and a scope of operations that allows the Postal Service to expand its service coverage. The seven-year contract also has guarantees by FedEx Express to ensure on time performance with the network.

FedEx will pay the Postal Service between $126 and $232 million in new revenue, depending on the number of self-service drop boxes that are placed outside post offices over the seven-year contract period.

In March, the Postal Service and FedEx began test market deployment of the self-service drop boxes in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, for a total of 113-drop boxes.

National deployment will initially extend placement of drop boxes to an additional 38 markets, for an estimated 3,000-drop boxes, by the end of July. During August and September, deployment will extend to at least 70 additional markets, with plans for further expansion through mid-November. Other qualified overnight package delivery companies have the opportunity to place collection boxes at post offices on terms similar to those in the agreement with FedEx Express.

Under the terms of the agreement, Postal Service retail associates will not handle or accept FedEx products. FedEx employees provide both the service and maintenance of the drop boxes.

On June 25, the Postal Service and FedEx will begin operational testing of the shared air transportation network in several cities.

During this period, one of the cornerstones of the Postal Service's information platform–the Surface-Air Management System (SAMS)–will be used to identify mail that will fly on the FedEx air transportation network, including First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail. SAMS gives the Postal Service the ability to assign a unique dispatch and routing tag to each tray, sack, or container, replacing the Air Contract Data Collection System (ACDS) with upgrade-ready software. It also has the ability to assign surface routes, and manage the capacity of the first leg of transportation by splitting out mail by class and to track manifests online.

National implementation of the shared transportation network will begin August 27.

About the Postal Service

The USPS delivered more than 208 billion pieces of mail to more than 136 million addresses last fiscal year. More than 94 percent of First- Class Mail destined for next day delivery receives overnight service, and customer satisfaction surveys show that 92 percent of households have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service. With more than 38,000 post offices nationwide, the Postal Service is committed to binding the nation together with communications.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

=== I called my local post office. They have received no information on any upcoming difficulty in shipping of live poultry. Suggest everyone call their local post office to try to confirm this. They also said they have not, repeat have not, contracted with FEDEX to handle all air freight. That was just a proposal which didn't get very far in Congress. The other air carriers screamed too loud about losing the USPS business. Also, the USPS has their own cargo planes. I have seen them. ===

Ken S, the meetings are being held behind closed doors. The local post offices have no idea what's going on.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 02, 2001.

I obviously stand corrected on the FEDEX aspect.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

Dear Friends and Customers of Murray McMurray Hatchery, WE NEED YOUR HELP! The United States Post Office is the only service in the United States, which will carry day old poultry. UPS, Federal Express, Airborne Express, and every other carrier in the US will not carry poultry. As all of you who have bought live day-old poultry from us know, we ship your order for baby chicks, ducklings, goslings, etc. to you via the airlines. We are able to do this because all airlines have a very lucrative contract with the United States Post Office to carry mail. Murray McMurray Hatchery is located a short distance from Minneapolis, Minnesota which happens to be the hub for Northwest Airlines, the airline which carries nearly 100% of our baby chicks.

We were just notified that as of August 15, 2001 Northwest has decided to join a long list of other airlines, which refuse to carry day-old poultry as United States Mail. (In the past the post office has allowed the airlines to pick and choose which type of US Mail they wish to carry.) This decision by Northwest Airlines will probably force the few remaining airlines that do carry poultry to follow suit. The end result of these actions is there will no longer be a way to purchase poultry through the mail because no airlines will carry your order. Unless this can be resolved Murray McMurray Hatchery and most other mail order hatcheries will more than likely go out of business.

We are begging for your support and help on this issue. Click on the link below to bring up a letter to your congressional representatives we would very much like to have you forward. WE MUST make them aware of this very crucial problem. We are very worried here at McMurray Hatchery that mail order poultry, like so many other great things of our rich heritage, may become a thing of the past. This issue does not only affect hatcheries. Every feed store, 4-H Club, poultry equipment manufacturer, pharmaceutical company, school science project, and any other individual or company which has a finger in raising poultry on the small scale will be hurt.

Please lend us your assistance on this issue. Thank you.

Murray McMurray and Mike Lubbers, Owners Murray McMurray Hatchery, Inc.

Go to the Take Action Page to see what you can do.

Take action now to save mail order shipping of poultry.

For more information click here or call

Call: 1-800-456-3280 and ask for information on the action alert

Copyright McMurray Hatchery 2001. To remove yourself from this mailing list, please see our unsubscribe page. (Unsubscribe at http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/weeklyspecialemail.asp) You are subscribed to this list as fodfarms@slic.com

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 02, 2001.

Here's something I thought of tonight after working with my bees today- won't this also adversely affect breeders of queen bees and package bees who rely upon the USPS to airfreight bees?

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 03, 2001.

Yes, Elizabeth, shipments of bees are affected too; this subject has been discussed on beekeepers lists too for the past few weeks.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), August 03, 2001.

Wow! Am I glad I checked this website. I've been really busy and haven't logged on in a while. Anyways, I copied this info and went to McMurray Hatchery website and copied info (as well as putting in my two cents on the action page) and took it to my local feed store. The owner is on the Farm Bureau and he is going to take the info to them. I am coping more info to be posted in his store. He wondered why Northwest was taking this action. Does anyone have any info as to what brought this action about? I also e-mailed Northwest. I may e-mail them again. Folks, don't be shy. I often think about the term grass roots organization when I am weeding. The root system on grass is truly amazing and the name is really quite flattering (in my line of thinking). I think we need to kick in just such a system for this issue. Any other ideas besides feed stores?

-- Tracey Burnash (burnash@gisco.net), August 04, 2001.

The PETA brigade is responsible for alot of the changes around this issue. They have had banning the shipment of animals on their active agenda for quite some months, and have been putting considerable pressure on the airlines, to the point where they are giving in rather than put up with the continual harrassment.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), August 04, 2001.

Maybe it's it's time we harrassed back!

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), August 04, 2001.

I wonder if the PETA people have thought about the consequences of this action. What will happen to all the birds that are used for breeding if the demand isn't there? Do they think they will go to a retirement home? It isn't going to stop the big places that treat the birds worse than dirt, it is only going to hurt the people that, as a whole, take care of the birds and let them live a life that birds should. What about the impact on genetics?? Eegads!

-- Tracey Burnash (burnash@gisco.net), August 04, 2001.

Right on, Tracey! These people NEVER consider the long-range effects of anything they espouse. The MEMBERSHIP is mainly made up of well- meaning, kind-hearted people who think they are doing a good thing by belonging. Most of them don't have a clue just how outrageous the long-term agenda is of the group's leaders.

Their ususal MO is to concentrate on an issue en masse, until they've recieved enough media attention (and contributions). If you follow them at all, you will quickly discover that they almost without exception dont know the first thing about that which they are speaking! I have had myriad "discussions" with PETA and ALF people, and almost every time they have no answers to my serious inquiries about the long-range effects of what they are trying to accomplish. Their information is almost always faulty, full of emotional manipulation, and just plain wrong.

Remember: when, as you just pointed out, what they are doing seems illogical and counterproductive to the welfare of animals, that their ultimate goal is to rid the world of ANY domestic animal use whatsever. To those of us who really know animals, the hypocrisy is obvious. Even if such a scenario were positive (which it is not), the immeasurable and interminable suffering to domestic animals everywhere apparently is something that doesnt quite register with these people, or they really don't give a damn. (..end justifies the means?...)

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), August 05, 2001.

Hey folks!

I called McMurray hatchery and got another great idea, news stations. This story is being picked up by various newspapers, radio stations and TV stations. I am going to e-mail a couple of stations that I frequent their websites and hope for the best!

The lady I spoke with did not know if PETA was involved in this or not. It appears that it is not real blatant if they are. I guess the whole issue annoys me so much I don't really care at this point. Maybe it is just someone sitting at a desk looking at the bottom line (and maybe a membership in PETA???).

Regardless, maybe some other people out there can e-mail the news stations, too. It can't hurt. I'm in NY and many of you are in other states.

Off to the other sites!

-- Tracey Burnash (burnash@gisco.net), August 06, 2001.

If this whole postal thing happens its going to spell out problems for those interested in the preservation of rare and heritage breeds of poultry too! Are any of those societies etc getting involved to help the hatcheries? Gotta keep that gene pool deep enough, eh?

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), August 08, 2001.