DISCUSSION THREAD

Wet Market Safety Act

A resolution to enact uniform standards that protect workers, consumers, and the general public.

Category: Regulation | Area of Effect: Consumer Protection | Propsed by: Gremenia | Voting Thread

RECOGNIZES that wet markets across the globe may partake in the trade of live animals and wild and exotic animals, exposing the world population to dangerous infectious disease.

WORRIES that the trade of live animals and wild and exotic animals in wet markets can spark new global pandemics.

THE WORLD ASSEMBLY:

1. DEFINES: 

a. "wet market" as a marketplace selling fresh meat, fish, produce, and other perishable goods as distinguished from "dry markets" that sell durable goods such as fabrics and electronics.

b. "wild and exotic animals" as products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions.

c. "live animals" as all living animals including hatching eggs.

d. "zoonotic diseases (zoonosis)" as an infectious disease caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, prions, etc) that has jumped from non-human animals (usually vertebrates) to humans.

e. "game" as animals like (1) small birds, such as the thrush and quail; (2) game proper, a category that can be subdivided into winged game, such as the goose, duck, woodcock, grouse or partridge, and pheasant; and ground game, such as the squirrel, hare, and rabbit; (3) big game, predominantly venison, including roebuck, deer, elk, moose, and caribou but also including other large animals such as bear and wild boar. 

2. ACKNOWLEDGES: 

a. the existence of wet markets, a majority of which do not trade in live animals and wild or exotic animals and that those markets which do trade in live animals and wild and exotic animals can be linked to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.

b. illegal wildlife trade is widespread and constitutes one of the major illegal economic activities, comparable to the traffic of drugs and weapons affecting conservation and leading to the emergence and spread of new infectious diseases in humans, including emergent viruses. 

3. PERMITS: 

a. the sale of fish products not deemed endangered or dangerous for human consumption.

b. The sale of vegetables, fruits, or plants not deemed endangered or dangerous for human consumption.

c. The sale of domesticated slaughtered animals deemed safe for human consumption.

d. the sale of slaughtered game, deemed safe for human consumption and not endangered. 

4. PROHIBITS: 

a. the trade of wild and exotic animals, alive or deceased, and any parts of those animals including skins, bones, and meat and other products in wet markets.

b. the trade of live animals in wet markets. 

5. MANDATES: 

a. wet markets do not partake in the trade or sale of live animals and wild and exotic animals, and all products sold are deemed safe for human consumption and are not known to cause zoonotic diseases.

b. wet markets use modern and proper sanitation and food storage methods to minimize the risk of disease.

c. that member nations shall each establish national standards jointly with the World Assembly Commission on which animals and products are deemed safe for sale and human consumption. 

6. ENSURES the health and safety of consumers shall not be compromised at wet markets due to exposure to live animals and wild and exotic animals or due to improper sanitation and food storage.

7. OBLIGES member nations to provide oversight of wet markets and the sale of any products within these markets beyond that exercised by the direct management of these markets.   

NOTICE: PLEASE USE THIS THREAD FOR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE WA PROPOSAL ONLY.
PLEASE USE the Voting Thread for Voting.

We encourage you to state your opinion, regardless of your legislatorship status.

Concrete Slab
Coral Guard Member
5x Local Councillor 
TSP Legislator and Citizen
Ambassador to the League 
Author of GAR #471, #479, and SCR #271
Co-author of SCR #300
Founded 1/25/18

(This post was last modified: 04-29-2020, 11:25 AM by Concrete Slab.)

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First off, this proposal has poor grammatical structure. Every clause should end in a comma, not a period. Also, the proposal seems to contradict itself in clauses 3 and 4 when it "permits the sale of domesticated slaughtered animals deemed safe for human consumption," but also "prohibits the trade of wild and exotic animals, alive or deceased, and any parts of those animals including skins, bones, and meat and other products in wet markets." The proposal also does not define what is "deemed sanitary" or what safety measures must be met. I will most likely be voting against.

Concrete Slab
Coral Guard Member
5x Local Councillor 
TSP Legislator and Citizen
Ambassador to the League 
Author of GAR #471, #479, and SCR #271
Co-author of SCR #300
Founded 1/25/18

Reply

"wild and exotic animals" as products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions

Is it just me, or does this clause make no sense? Why are plants included if it's defining animals? Products that are derived from...plants...raised under controlled conditions? So dandelion greens are wild and exotic animals?

I'm automatically suspicious of anything targetting "wet markets", especially in these times. It's worth a reminder that your trendy local farmers market -- yes, that's a wet market. A textbook example of a wet market, too. They're not just scary exotic foreign things.

~ Aumeltopia ~

Raccoons are bandits! First they steal your food . . . and then your heart/identity!

Reply

"wild and exotic animals" as products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions

Is it just me, or does this clause make no sense? Why are plants included if it's defining animals? Products that are derived from...plants...raised under controlled conditions? So dandelion greens are wild and exotic animals?

I'm automatically suspicious of anything targetting "wet markets", especially in these times. It's worth a reminder that your trendy local farmers market -- yes, that's a wet market. A textbook example of a wet market, too. They're not just scary exotic foreign things. 

There was also no drafting of this proposal on the forums. Kinda sketch.

Concrete Slab
Coral Guard Member
5x Local Councillor 
TSP Legislator and Citizen
Ambassador to the League 
Author of GAR #471, #479, and SCR #271
Co-author of SCR #300
Founded 1/25/18

Reply

I'm for this just because it's my personal belief that these markets should be regulated for the sake of ensuring sale of fish + sea plants that are endangered or exotic, but of course, this comes at heavy regret for the way it's written. I personally would vote for, but I wouldn't wholly recommend this resolution as it is. If it gets denied, I'd move towards rewriting this for the sake of making it more understandable in a better format.

~~Rose~~
You may know me as Eggraria!
Roleplayer and Writer

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Office of WA Legislation Staff
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Citizen of The South Pacific above all else.

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Former positions

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 and prismatica#0013 is my Discord handle.

(This post was last modified: 04-30-2020, 04:29 PM by rosaferri.)

Reply

I'm for this just because it's my personal belief that these markets should be regulated for the sake of ensuring sale of fish + sea plants that are endangered or exotic, but of course, this comes at heavy regret for the way it's written. I personally would vote for, but I wouldn't wholly recommend this resolution as it is. If it gets denied, I'd move towards rewriting this for the sake of making it more understandable in a better format.

I'm also for restrictions on these types of markets, but we shouldn't settle for poorly written proposals.

Concrete Slab
Coral Guard Member
5x Local Councillor 
TSP Legislator and Citizen
Ambassador to the League 
Author of GAR #471, #479, and SCR #271
Co-author of SCR #300
Founded 1/25/18

Reply