Ag chief: ID animals now, or pay later

Bennington Banner ^ | 04-10-2006 | NEAL GOSWAMI

[grey_whiskers]

BENNINGTON — Vermont is at a greater risk of a major outbreak of animal-borne disease if it does not begin tracking its livestock, says the state's agriculture chief.

While local health officials are confident in their ability to deal with the avian flu, Steve Kerr, the state's agriculture secretary, is discouraged by efforts to block related preparations.

A debate has emerged in the state and nation over the need to track livestock. The yet-to-be implemented National Animal Identification System is a federal plan to ear-tag and track the movements of all domestic livestock in the United States by 2009.

Many advocacy groups, such as Rural Vermont, have opposed those measures, claiming that tagging will threaten small family farmers, can be expensive and is an invasion of privacy.

[grey_whiskers]

You know, I find it fascinating that the same politicians who tell us that they cannot track 11 million illegals are clamoring to make it mandatory to track every last farm animal in the United States--as well as ALL of their movements.

[rightinthemiddle]

ping

[ikka]

Go to NoNAIS.org to get the full info. Summary: NAIS was done to satisfy export requirements of OTHER COUNTRIES - since only large agribusiness producers export in any volume, this is about helping big business. The fact that many small producers won't be able to comply with the hours of paperwork required and will go out of business, is sort of a bonus.

This is not about stopping disease, that is just a scare tactic used to try to get the bills passed.

[HairOfTheDog]

This issue still makes my head spin.

Ping!

[Fairview]

They even want you to tag and scan individual chickens! It's amazing. And anybody who has any livestock--the backyard pony or a few guinea fowl, which are essentially foxfood--will be required to maintain the machinery to do this. Yeah, I can really see myself doing this. . .

This is not too different from the Virginia laws that attempt to track who has what kind of dog or hound.

[Wonder Warthog]

"You know, I find it fascinating that the same politicians who tell us that they cannot track 11 million illegals are clamoring to make it mandatory to track every last farm animal in the United States..."

As I understand it, it isn't just "farm animals" that will be tracked. Fido and Felix will have to be tagged, too.

[joesnuffy]

Thats because the brown shirts are needed to bring anarchy first then 'the state' steps in with its new powers granted to save us from anarchy...

The new world order is about controlling people...their thoughts words and deeds...with NO private property for serfs
and certainly NO constitution...

ALL authority given up to the state and all freedoms will be dispensed only at the 'whim' of a capricious state...

imo

[Alter Kaker]

This is not about stopping disease, that is just a scare tactic used to try to get the bills passed.

Are you kidding? This is a question of public health, one of the few legitimate roles of government.

[nothingnew]

Are you kidding? This is a question of public health, one of the few legitimate roles of government.

Hah ha ha. Yeah, right.

Did you bother to go to NoNAIS.org to get the full info?

Didn't think so.....

Feh.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Alter Kaker]

Did you bother to go to NoNAIS.org to get the full info?

It's a silly site filled with non sequiturs. The purpose of tagging is to be able to do forensic tracing, after an outbreak. If a disease infects an animal, it won't necessarily be detected by USDA inspectors. And even if it is, doing forensic work to do determine how the animal initially became infected is at present impossible, because there are no records to track the animal's orgins or history. Will this cost money? Yes. But the costs are minimal compared to the potential public health risk of not having some sort of record system. The idea that this is some sort of Bush Administration conspiracy to kill off small farmers and ranchers (the vast majority of whom died off long ago) is completely ludicrous.

[Rio]

In the event of an outbreak of avian flu, the only way to stop its spread is to slaughter farm animals, said Kerr.

Huh?
My chickens stay in my yard. How far can they spread disease?
Seems to me that migratory birds that can actually FLY would have a better chance of spreading something.

[Alter Kaker]

My chickens stay in my yard.

Then in that case, the record keeping should be cheap and easy. Also, you're very much the exception. Because in most cases, fowl and livestock will change owners and/or locations at least once during their lifetimes, without individualized records, making it impossible to conduct forensic disease vectoring in the absence of tagging. Can I ask, exactly how many chickens do you have?

[nothingnew]

The idea that this is some sort of Bush Administration conspiracy (it's much bigger than that) to kill off small farmers and ranchers (the vast majority of whom died off long ago)(so...maybe you do understand in your subconscience) is completely ludicrous(No. It's not. You don't know any farming/ranching families, do you? I do.)

FMCDH(BITS)

[Alter Kaker]

Exactly how many chickens are we talking about?

[nothingnew]

Can I ask, exactly how many chickens do you have?

More than you, I would wager.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Alter Kaker]

The idea that this is some sort of Bush Administration conspiracy

(it's much bigger than that)

Bigger than the Bush Administration? Who's at the top? The Masons? The Jews? The Trilateral Commission?

[Alter Kaker]

More than you, I would wager.

That's correct, as I live in a suburb and do not own any chickens. But I'm trying to get a sense of the burden to you. How many chickens are we talking about?

[nothingnew]

Exactly how many chickens are we talking about?

Don't know, don't care. I know farmers and ranchers, not chicken growers.

How many cases of "mad cow disease" and "bird flu" can you back up with actual facts world wide? Not the scare tactics the NWO organizers throw out there...real true data. If I believed all the scaremongering they have published, I believe we all would be dead now due to the plague like spread of these diseases. Just like NYC will be underwater by 2020 from "global warming".

Hahaha!....yeah, I believe'em. This is all about power over us by marxists using another name.

FMCDH(BITS)

[nothingnew]

But I'm trying to get a sense of the burden to you.

My burden is not "chickens". My burden is watching my country falling under the bootheel of "the new marxism" which is still the old marxism under a new name.

This is nothing more than increasing the control of the food supply and siezing private land (see Kelo Decision) and many more ploys, such as McCain/Feingold.

I'm sorry you can't put 2 and 2 together.

Have a nice day.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Alter Kaker]

Don't know, don't care. I know farmers and ranchers, not chicken growers.

Well, you were speaking about the impact on the chickens in your back yard, so I thought the number was important to establish. Forgive me for asking.

How many cases of "mad cow disease" and "bird flu" can you back up with actual facts world wide?

Why don't you wait until after the next epidemic to ask me? Again, how many chickens do you have?

This is all about power over us by marxists using another name.

Yup, that's right, I'm a Marxist. But you're a crazy.