Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, September 24, 2005
Amish balk at tagging livestock, call it 'the mark of the beast'
It's the "Mark of the Beast," say Amish farmers, and they want nothing to do with it.
"The Amish's feeling is premises registration may be step one of a five-step project that may lead to the tagging and tracking of adults and children," said David Matthes, state chairman of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America.
The state is requiring anyone raising livestock to register their premises, regardless of the operation's size. The consortium of livestock industry groups handling the registration says it's the first of three steps to create a national tracking system to help contain, within 48 hours, breakouts of diseases like mad cow or foot and mouth.
"(The Amish say) it is the beginning of the mark of the beast, and our Bible has told us of the mark of the beast," said Matthes, who met with Amish from across the state at a Cashton farm Sept. 12 at their request. They asked for help in giving voice to their objections, he said.
R-CALF USA supports the premises registration program, but opposes the possibility of a national, mandatory radio frequency tagging system for individual livestock, Matthes said.
Some Amish farmers reached Friday say they're OK with premises registration but any computer-based tagging will cost people their salvation, and they referred to Revelations chapters 13 and 14.
R-CALF USA and Amish farmers in the state are among those worried a national livestock tracking system will require computer-based tagging of some sort and a national database. Aside from the religious repercussions, some livestock producers also worry about privacy, higher operating costs and liability.
Livestock industry groups and state and federal officials are working toward creating the system to track diseased livestock to minimize heath and economic disaster.
"Bottom line, we cannot respond to an animal disease problem in a timely manner if we do not know where livestock are kept," said Robert Fourdraine, chief operating officer for the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium.
The first step is done. The Wisconsin Premises Registration Act goes into effect Nov. 1. Anyone with livestock - regardless if they're raising fish, or dairy farmers, or a hobby farmer with one chicken - are required to register. To register, go to www.wiid.org, or call 1-888-808-1910 to get a form. Farm Agency offices in the area also have forms available.
The effort does have supporters. "I registered so consumers have confidence and peace of mind, knowing our animals are healthy," said Kevin Larson, a Viroqua-area farmer, in a consortium press release.
The next two steps, according to the consortium, involve creating a computer-based way to track livestock and then make a database. U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., has authored a bill to create the tracking system, although he doesn't specifically call for implantable chips.
Matthes said such a system will not be cost effective and will hurt producers financially. The existing tracking system, which includes various tags, metal clips, tattoos and hot branding, should be tested to see if it, along with the new premises registration law in effect, can offer the 48-hour tracking window being sought, he said.
He also said the existing system worked when cases of mad cow disease were found in Washington and Texas in recent years.
Chris Baldus can be reached at cbaldus@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8256.
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