Minor User and Minor Species (MUMS) Coalition

The Animal Drug Availability Act of 1996 required the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide Congress with a report, describing administrative and legislative proposals to improve and enhance the animal drug approval process for minor uses and minor species (MUMS) of new animal drugs.  FDA’s MUMS report, delivered to Congress in December 1998, laid out nine proposals.  Eight of these proposals require statutory changes.

  In response to the FDA MUMS report, an industry coalition of aquaculture groups was formed on January 27, 1999 in Tampa, Florida and expanded over the next four months to include numerous other minor species groups. On June 29, 1999, this coalition met with several representatives of the Coalition for Animal Health (CAH) to discuss which parts of the FDA’s MUMS report were legislatively possible and what support was needed to effect any agreed-to changes. An informal MUMS Coalition has been formed and the members are listed below. Dr. Randy MacMillan, National Aquaculture Association officer, will be the temporary chair.

  The MUMS Coalition will develop a “white paper” with concrete details of losses of revenue, losses of animals, animal suffering and potentials for growth to provide Congress and Clinton Administration officials with sufficient justification for the Coalition’s efforts for securing legislative changes. It is hoped that this can be posted on this site in the future.

  On September 8, 1999, the MUMS Coalition met with Dr. Steven Sundlof, Director of CVM, Dr. Andrew Beaulieu, CVM Deputy Director, and other CVM representatives. In relevant part, the MUMS Coalition was informed that CVM could only react to legislative proposals; CVM is not permitted to provide draft language. As a result, the MUMS Coalition decided to proceed with the drafting of an “ideal” MUMS bill for discussion and eventual introduction in Congress. for action. This has resulted in the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004, which is currently before the house of representatives.

 Members of the MUMS Coalition:

• American Animal Hospital Association
• American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians
• American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
• American Farm Bureau
• American Feed Industry Association
• Animal Health Institute
• American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, Inc.
• American Rabbit Breeders Association
• American Sheep Industry Association
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Arkansas Bait and Ornamental Fish Growers Association
• Catfish Farmers of America
• Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association, Inc.
• International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine
• International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• North American Deer Farmers Association
• North American Gamebird Association, Inc.
• National Fisheries Institute
• National Turkey Federation
• Pacific Shellfish Growers Association
• National Aquaculture Association:
  - Alaska Shellfish Growers Association
  - California Aquaculture Association
  - Catfish Farmers of Arkansas
  - Colorado Aquaculture Association
  - Florida Aquaculture Association
  - Hawaii Aquaculture Association
  - Idaho Aquaculture Association
  - Indiana Aquaculture Association
  - Massachusetts Aquaculture Association
  - Maine Aquaculture Association
  - Minnesota Aquaculture Association
  - Missouri Aquaculture Association
  - National Ornamental Goldfish Growers Association
  - New Jersey Aquaculture Association
  - Ocean State Aquaculture Association
  - Ohio Aquaculture Association
  - Oklahoma Aquaculture Association
  - Pennsylvania Aquaculture Association
  - Striped Bass Growers Association
  - South Carolina Aquaculture Association
  - Texas Aquaculture Association
  - US Aquaculture Suppliers Association
  - US Trout Farmers Association
  - Utah Aquaculture Association
  - Wisconsin Aquaculture Association
  - West Virginia Aquaculture Association