Amish Voice Their Concern; Echoes Others

By Brenda Murphy, Managing Editor
Thursday, September 15, 2005 2:37 AM CDT

A meeting in Cashton on Monday saw more than 250 Amish from around the state, a handful of representatives from livestock sales barns, representative Lee Nerison (R-Westby) as well as aides from the offices of Congressman Ron Kind (D-Wisconsin) and Dan Kapanke (R-LaCrosse) gathered to voice their displeasure at the premises registration law as written and the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) as it is written.

Dave Mathes from Mathes Livestock Exchange of Viola and state president of R-Calf USA-Wisconsin led the meeting and read both the premises ID and NAIS as written.

The group had several questions regarding the terminology of the premises ID law and how it could affect the Amish community. Concerns of confidentiality were a concern of many of the Amish that spoke at the meeting.

As written, the law states that the governing body cannot disclose the information of any individual but can, if necessary, disclose the information of an aggregate. That means, for more than just the Amish, should the governing body feel the need to distribute information about a group of people they would be able to do so.

Other individuals voiced the concern of having a number attached to them and are unwilling to fill out the form. Voluntarily signing up for such a number is against their religious beliefs. Administrators of the premises registration have agreed to fill out the paperwork for members of the Amish community. However, the group as a whole is concerned that the registration of such a number would lead to the government's tracking of more than just the livestock on the farm. They're concerned that eventually the government would also be able to track them and their children in an electronic system.

A question heard often at meetings and hearings discussing premises registration is the transferring of the farm or livestock. For many of the Amish, their land and farms are transferred within their families. Dave Mathes helped to clarify the law stating that the number belongs to the land - not the people who own it. Each time a person moves, they give up the number they were living at for the premises number where they are moving. Similarly, the number applies to all animals housed on that property regardless of the number of owners. This was a concern for many of the Amish as often times many generations can reside on the same property - each owning a few head of cattle, horses or chickens.

Another concern, but of lesser importance they stated, was the cost of the program. Currently, there isn't a charge associated with the registration. Mathes clarified the law as written, "It is proposed that funding be provided from 2005-07 but there is no guarantee that it will always be free."

Lee Nerison, who represents the 96th district, spoke that funding was a concern of the agriculture committee. "We didn't want this to be another fee on the farmer. That was a main concern we all had."

Animal identification

Amish are opposed to electronic registration of any kind. They believe the current system of tattoos, branding, back tags at the time of slaughter and metal vaccination clips are an efficient and workable system.

Mathes stated, "This is a system which has been in place for 30 years or more and has been proven to be effective. We can traceback animals. It may take 72 hours, but it's effective and efficient.

"We've proven it works by how we handled the BSE infected cow in Washington State. It worked then."

The proposed law would enable traceback within 48 hours. Mathes suggested that with the incorporation of premises registration the supposed 72-hour traceback would most likely be closer to the 48-hour traceback the government is hoping for - without the need for electronic identification.

A concern of all members present was liability. The law as written and read at the start of the meeting doesn't appear to address the issue of liability should the meat from an animal become infected somewhere along the food chain.

Representative Nerison spoke after the meeting that this was a concern that does need to be addressed before it can become law.

Confidentiality is also a concern with animal identification.

A national animal identification program is step two of a three phase system - the first being premises registration and the third being animal tracking.

The whole community is concerned that once the government is able to track their animals they would also be able to track the family and their children.

A respected representative of the Amish community stood up and voiced the position and concern of the community. "We are against electronic animal identification of any kind. It must be stopped before it is law. We have a system that works.

"Cost is less of a concern than the consequences of this system. Money is not our first concern - the Bible is.

"We are not a public people, but this is a time when we have to make our concerns public."

Mathes urged the group to individually write letters to their representatives at the state and national level. "The impact you as a group had when you went to the Capitol and the letters that piled up on the desks of these guys (Nerison, Kapanke and Kind) was huge! That's what you have to do again - to make that kind of an impact, to have your voice and concerns heard."

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