AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/8999365380974846975
<TABLE width=700><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">By Tyler Reed/Daily News Staff
Sunday, December 10, 2006 - Updated: 00:51 AM EST
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A coalition of organic farmers in Massachusetts is opposed to a new federal program designed to prevent the spread of mad cow disease and bird flu by tracking the locations and movements of the country's livestock.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's ``National Animal Identification System,'' which could eventually call for farmers to tag their animals with electronic tracking chips, would be burdensome for small farmers and could cripple the local farming industry, opponents of the program argue.
They say the efforts to prevent an outbreak of the deadly Avian flu virus or mad cow disease should be directed at large factory farms, where animals live in close quarters.
``It's just a horrendous government boondoggle,'' said Bob Hebeler, who owns the Acorn Alpaca Ranch in Millis.
His alpacas are already microchipped because they are part of a registry, but Hebeler said filling out paperwork anytime he takes the animals somewhere would be a waste of time.
``It just becomes totally oppressive,'' he said.
The identification system, which the USDA has recently declared voluntary, is meant to help health officials prevent widespread outbreaks by notifying farmers and tracing animals' movements when a sick animal is discovered.
``Quick identification of infected animals means less exposure,'' U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in an August speech at the 2006 Animal Identification/Information Exposition in Kansas City, Mo. ``It means that we can isolate the issue quickly and deal with it. It means less time and money spent on eradication work. And it may mean the survival of an industry.''
Federal and state agriculture officials are in the early stages of implementing the system - referred to by the acronym NAIS - by soliciting local farmers to register their locations. The registry would include not only professional farmers, but also amateurs who own a pig, horses or a pair of backyard chickens.
Federal officials are still mulling the details of how to trace the movements of the animals.
Opposition to the program in Massachusetts is led by the local chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, which argues the system should focus on large, factory farms and not small farmers who can easily account for their own animals.
``We have a tremendous problem with factory farming in this country and that's not really even on the table,'' said Ben Grosscup, a NOFA spokesman.
The group has also expressed concern over the security of information the USDA might collect on farmers.
``The government has a long history of misusing people's data,'' Grosscup said.
NOFA criticized the state Department of Agricultural Resources for sending data on local farms to the federal government.
After one transmission earlier this year, the state stopped submitting data to the USDA. However, it plans to begin again after receiving a confirmation of confidentiality from the federal government, said Michael Cahill, head of the bureau of animal health at the state Department of Agricultural Resources.
``I think now that we've got this confirmation in writing, we probably will'' begin to send data again, Cahill said. ``It's exempt from public records.''
Cahill said the state is supportive of the USDA's effort to build a list of livestock owners, but said he hopes it develops an animal ID that is cheap and efficient, otherwise he would oppose it in the interest of protecting the state's small farmers.
``I can't see them mandating putting a $30 tag on a $2 chicken,'' he said. ``There's no way we would be implementing a program that would put people out of business.''
Cahill said the organic farmers' argument that factory farms are where diseases would most likely pop up is biased.
``There's a lot of stuff that organic farmers do that makes me cringe when it comes to disease control,'' he said. ``Some of the tactics they're using in sort of bashing the NAIS system doesn't have very much to do with disease control.''
Lynda Simkins, director of the Natick Community Organic Farm, sees it the other way.
``I see my animals every day,'' she said. ``Most people who are farming in New England are very connected to their critters.''
She said farmers should be required to join a tracking system if they have above a certain number of animals.
``People like Purdue and some of these large beef and pork growers should have the responsibility to answer to consumers,'' she said.
Terry Golson, a cookbook author from Carlisle who raises hens for their fresh eggs, said backyard chicken owners like herself commonly go to poultry shows and swaps to pick up new hens and roosters.
``This would be just about impossible under the new regs,'' she said in an e-mail.
She said any added cost and paperwork would overrun amateur livestock owners. The new system would create ``an insurmountable amount of paperwork - expensive for the government and the poultry person, for no clear benefit.'' she said.
.
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Natick Community Organic Farm manager Lynda Simkins with one of her cows.
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<TABLE width=700><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">By Tyler Reed/Daily News Staff
Sunday, December 10, 2006 - Updated: 00:51 AM EST
<!--BYLINE END-->
A coalition of organic farmers in Massachusetts is opposed to a new federal program designed to prevent the spread of mad cow disease and bird flu by tracking the locations and movements of the country's livestock.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's ``National Animal Identification System,'' which could eventually call for farmers to tag their animals with electronic tracking chips, would be burdensome for small farmers and could cripple the local farming industry, opponents of the program argue.
They say the efforts to prevent an outbreak of the deadly Avian flu virus or mad cow disease should be directed at large factory farms, where animals live in close quarters.
``It's just a horrendous government boondoggle,'' said Bob Hebeler, who owns the Acorn Alpaca Ranch in Millis.
His alpacas are already microchipped because they are part of a registry, but Hebeler said filling out paperwork anytime he takes the animals somewhere would be a waste of time.
``It just becomes totally oppressive,'' he said.
The identification system, which the USDA has recently declared voluntary, is meant to help health officials prevent widespread outbreaks by notifying farmers and tracing animals' movements when a sick animal is discovered.
``Quick identification of infected animals means less exposure,'' U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in an August speech at the 2006 Animal Identification/Information Exposition in Kansas City, Mo. ``It means that we can isolate the issue quickly and deal with it. It means less time and money spent on eradication work. And it may mean the survival of an industry.''
Federal and state agriculture officials are in the early stages of implementing the system - referred to by the acronym NAIS - by soliciting local farmers to register their locations. The registry would include not only professional farmers, but also amateurs who own a pig, horses or a pair of backyard chickens.
Federal officials are still mulling the details of how to trace the movements of the animals.
Opposition to the program in Massachusetts is led by the local chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, which argues the system should focus on large, factory farms and not small farmers who can easily account for their own animals.
``We have a tremendous problem with factory farming in this country and that's not really even on the table,'' said Ben Grosscup, a NOFA spokesman.
The group has also expressed concern over the security of information the USDA might collect on farmers.
``The government has a long history of misusing people's data,'' Grosscup said.
NOFA criticized the state Department of Agricultural Resources for sending data on local farms to the federal government.
After one transmission earlier this year, the state stopped submitting data to the USDA. However, it plans to begin again after receiving a confirmation of confidentiality from the federal government, said Michael Cahill, head of the bureau of animal health at the state Department of Agricultural Resources.
``I think now that we've got this confirmation in writing, we probably will'' begin to send data again, Cahill said. ``It's exempt from public records.''
Cahill said the state is supportive of the USDA's effort to build a list of livestock owners, but said he hopes it develops an animal ID that is cheap and efficient, otherwise he would oppose it in the interest of protecting the state's small farmers.
``I can't see them mandating putting a $30 tag on a $2 chicken,'' he said. ``There's no way we would be implementing a program that would put people out of business.''
Cahill said the organic farmers' argument that factory farms are where diseases would most likely pop up is biased.
``There's a lot of stuff that organic farmers do that makes me cringe when it comes to disease control,'' he said. ``Some of the tactics they're using in sort of bashing the NAIS system doesn't have very much to do with disease control.''
Lynda Simkins, director of the Natick Community Organic Farm, sees it the other way.
``I see my animals every day,'' she said. ``Most people who are farming in New England are very connected to their critters.''
She said farmers should be required to join a tracking system if they have above a certain number of animals.
``People like Purdue and some of these large beef and pork growers should have the responsibility to answer to consumers,'' she said.
Terry Golson, a cookbook author from Carlisle who raises hens for their fresh eggs, said backyard chicken owners like herself commonly go to poultry shows and swaps to pick up new hens and roosters.
``This would be just about impossible under the new regs,'' she said in an e-mail.
She said any added cost and paperwork would overrun amateur livestock owners. The new system would create ``an insurmountable amount of paperwork - expensive for the government and the poultry person, for no clear benefit.'' she said.
.
</TD><!--ARTICLE BODY END--><!--SPACER--><TD width=5><SPACER type="block" height="1" width="10"></SPACER></TD><!--ARTICLE TOOLS COLUMN--><TD vAlign=top><!--PHOTO-->
Natick Community Organic Farm manager Lynda Simkins with one of her cows.
<!--PHOTO END--></TD><!--ARTICLE TOOLS COLUMN END--></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--ARTICLE TABLE END--><!--CONTENT AREA END--><!--SPACER--><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" height=12><SPACER type="block" height="12" width="1"></SPACER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--BOTTOM TABLE-->