Where's The Beef?
By Lisa Imerman
January 2007
The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) thinks that soon they will be able to tell you where every last cow in Michigan is at any given moment. On March 1, 2007 the Michigan Mandatory Cattle Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) program goes into full effect. The MDA claims that this program will improve efficiency, track and help eliminate disease and improve food safety. However, what it really does is burden cattle owners with unnecessary expenses and red tape, increasing food costs for everyone.
The Michigan program requires that all cattle be tagged with a specific type of RFID tag. The tags will cost the farmer $2 each, and in order to buy them the farmer must sign up for a Federal U.S. Premises ID number. This number attaches to the land forever and places information on the farmer, his animals and his land into both a Michigan and a federal database. Even a grade school child will not be able to show his or her prize milking cow at the 4-H without an RFID tag and premises ID number! This program is a logistical nightmare, and the MDA has not done any cost analysis to determine how much it will cost, where will the money come from, who will enforce it, how will the data be managed, what will happen when a step in the system fails, etc.
This program is merely the stepping stone for something called the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS. NAIS would require owners of even one livestock animals, including horses, chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, and cows, to register their property, tag their animals, and ultimately report their movements to a database. Over the past year, opposition to this program has been building in Michigan and across the country. In response to the opposition, the federal government announced that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, yet Michigan continues to push ahead and force it on farmers.
This program is designed to help the export market for the benefit of large, industrial agriculture companies. At the same time, it will force the small, local farmers out of business because they will not be able to afford to compete under such a burdensome program. This program does not address the cause, treatment or transmission of animal diseases. Michigan already has effective means for addressing Bovine Tuberculosis (TB), the major issue we face. The remaining issues in the spread of TB are due to the wild deer population, which will not be tagged under this program! The program also violates people's constitutional rights in property and privacy, while infringing on the religious freedom of people such as the Amish who cannot comply with its technology-heavy requirements.
The Michigan Legislature has never authorized this program. Rather, the Michigan Department of Agriculture slipped this massive new government program in through a "policy change" in order to get federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In the same vein of ignoring normal procedures, the MDA also took all of the data from cattle herds that had been tested for TB and simply dumped it into the federal database without asking the owners! The MDA official in charge of this program, Kevin Kirk, also sits on the board of the industry organization that originally proposed the idea to the USDA. Mr. Kirk cannot possibly be unbiased in his views of what is best for the State of Michigan when he also has a fiduciary duty to an industry group that has financial ties to the NAIS and other such programs. Michigan residents deserve an accountable and transparent government.
In short, this program is a burdensome, expensive and unconstitutional attempt to control all the farmland in the country. It does not address any of the current disease, food safety or legal concerns presented. It has no scientific basis and has not been properly planned or studied.
If you would like further information on these issues or would like
to find ways to assist in opposing this program please go to www.libertyark.net or contact
Lisa Imerman at Lrimerman@comcast.net or
248-618-9266.