USDA Threatens Small Business Owner with $450,000 in Fines

Without much fanfare, Dean Moyer has raised gerbils and hamsters for 12 years. He’s sold them to distributors who, in turn, have sold them to pet store owners across the country. Chances are good that the pet hamster your neighbor’s kid always carries in his hand came from Moyer’s Sand Valley Farms, Inc. But that could change soon if the folks at the USDA have their way.

“Basically, the USDA just wants me to close up,” Moyer said. “They just want me to get out of the hamster business.”

After an inspection by two individuals, including one veterinarian, from Youngstown, Ohio rather than his local inspector, Moyer received a letter from USDA advising him they found 45 violations for which he could be fined $10,000 each - or $450,000.

Full story at Bob McCarty.com