My letter to the USDA in regards to the federal regulation of live Helix Aspersa (AKA snails, AKA escargot, AKA slimy kittens, AKA whatever else you can think of to call them)
Feel free to go give them a piece of your mind at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2008-0076
Letter begins:
My name is Steven Steiner and I own SnailsInTheMail.com. We focus on selling live Helix Aspersa for escargot, schools, pets, skin care products and many other things.
While I do agree that certain states may need to regulate and monitor Helix Aspersa movement... I don't think it should be handled on a Federal level. This type of thing can't be handled the same way for Minnesota or NYC as it would be for Florida (mind you Florida already has banned Helix Aspersa on a state level.)
This is a potentially thriving industry that is absolutely being murdered by over regulation by people who apparently don't really understand creatures the laws are written about. Snails just seems like a potential problem, so put a regulation requirement and never approve any applications. I always remind people that if farmers didn't keep their cows properly... it could be a MAJOR issue as well. California spends over $40 million dollars a year poising the exact same snails that they spend over $20 million dollars a year importing from Europe... We could be saving a massive amount of money and not poising our environment if Heliciculture wasn't so demonized at the moment.
I have multiple teachers and professors that claim Helix Aspera are hands down the best classroom pet for experiments and for kids in general. In California schools kindergarten all the way up to future Neurologist are using these amazing little creatures.
Here is what a professor from one of the colleges in the Bay Area had to say:
"I ordered snails last fall for my physio lab class. Snails arrived by car at my doorsteps in a little box, a couple hours after the order was placed. Snails were very healthy and agile. For the class, we used these snails to do a Pavlovian conditioning on them, similar to what Eric Kandel did to the sea snail Aplysia. The lab is tricky as the snails needed to start "learning" in advance (I was "teaching" them at my house for a week prior to the lab); as a result, during the lab, many snails exhibited successful conditioning. My students LOVED the class. For the final exam, I had the students describe one of the labs, and about half used the snail teaching lab, out of 13 labs that we did. Thank you Steven, for your brilliant business idea, for the speedy delivery, and for the experience my students had with the snails! You've got some following here!"
Here is an example of a reputable Museum trying to obtain snails for their educational programs (I received this email today... this is a daily event at this point):
"Hi Steve,
I am interested in learning more about the snails you have advertised on the Snails in the Mail website. I am in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania so I'm not certain that you can send them to this state. We have developed a snail educational program and have been using locally available aquatic snails as part of that program. I'd like to have a reputable source for land snails. Any information you have is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Pam
Pamela Brutsche Ireland
Outreach Program Manager
Department of Lifelong Learning
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080
Phone: 412-353-4782"
How much of a risk is a Helix Aspersa in PA? I would say it has to be zero or near zero... because when the temperature hits 32 degrees the snails can no longer survive. However at this point, the USDA won't even consider applications. In 9 years... the USDA has approved ONE Helix Aspera application! (I was told this by a USDA employee in Arkansas when I was being issued a $6.3 million dollar federal warning because I started my company while the government turned off their websites & the postmaster said I could mail them... the fine was $300,000 per box that contained any Helix Aspersa to any state.)
I do believe the reward out weighs the risk in this example and in MANY other examples that I'd be happy to outline if requested.
I would be happy to sit on any board overlooking Helix Aspersa/escargot industry here in America or I would be happy to answer any questions as well. Basically, if there is anything I can do for my country & this industry... please contact me.
