Posted on 03/10/2006 9:10:06 AM PST by pubwvj
In England a farmer is being prosecuted and sent to prison for a cow that lost an ear tag. NEWS-FLASH #1: Animals lose their ear tags a lot. NEWS-FLASH #2: Ear tags do not stop disease.
Texas wants $1,000 per incident per day fines to enforce compliance. NEWS-FLASH #3: It could only take weeks for this to add up to more than the value of a small farm or homestead.
In Vermont our Agriculture Department plans to enforce mandatory Premise ID, and probably eventually NAIS, "right down to the backyard level" in the words of our state vet Dr. Rood. When asked why he said "We are making the rules because we can." NEWS-FLASH #4: The only way to enforce a mandatory program is with fines, confiscation and jail so I guess we'll be seeing absurd confiscatory fines that effectively give away our farms and homes to the Vermont Department of Agriculture. And you thought this was a democracy.
Why is the government making criminals of innocent farmers? These fines are nothing to big corporations - they just pay them and keep right on with business as usual These fines are enormous for small producers and individual home owners. Are they trying to drive us not only out of business but also take our houses by tithing and fining us out of existence? Is this a new form of taxation? Is the government trying to make up for overspending and deficits by raising money on the backs of small farmers, homesteaders and pet owners?
The fees and fines of NAIS act like a hidden tax on agriculture that will destroy those who are least able comply with comples regulations and least afford the expenses. NAIS has the potential to destroy small farms and kill of a long tradition of rural food independence amoung homesteaders.
NAIS is for the benefit of the very large producers and meat exporters but the burden is being laid upon the shoulders of small farmers and homesteaders. Ultimately the consumer will pay the price in a loss of selection and higher food costs as our national food supply becomes concentrated into the hands of fewer and fewer large corporations.
Visit http://NoNAIS.org for daily updates
NAIS handout at: http://NoNAIS.org/handout
http://nonais.org/index.php/2006/03/09/farmer-jailed-over-lost-tag/
The factory farmers and big operators won't be happy until they drive all the small farmers out of business.
This happened with the milk business, where they kept passing more and more regulations requiring expensive equipment like stainless steel tanks for milk storage that are completely impractical on small farms.
In a place like Vermont, a lot of the small farms sell their produce locally, to neighbors. That's a healthy way to go, and it avoids energy-wasting transportation costs.
But the large farmers and the guys who get paid millions not to grow things are the ones who can afford campaign contributions.
Yea, so many people operate under the mistaken assumption that big business doesn't embrace socialism.
They do.
They would like nothing more than to set up subsidies for themselves and enough barriers to entry/regulation in the industry that it is impossible for anyone new to enter it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.