[WestMALocals] Press Release| Broadhurst Opposes National Animal Identification System

[Owen Broadhurst]

Owen R. Broadhurst
96 Elbert Road
Agawam, MA  01001-3202
413.786.1508
owen.broadhurst at gmail.com
http://www.owenbroadhurst.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AGAWAM – The Green-Rainbow Party candidate for State Representative in the
Third Hampden District, Owen R. Broadhurst of Agawam, condemns the National
Animal Identification System as a costly burden for small and family farms,
and urges the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to not only
suspend annual animal census data transfers to the United States Department
of Agriculture but also to fully disclose to farmers on whom it has
collected data precisely what data has been collected and to what purposes
collected data has been or yet may be used. Broadhurst urges the Department
not to comply with any portion of the National Animal Identification System
and urges the passage of legislation to this effect.



"For months, unbeknownst to many local and family farmers, the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources had been uploading data to the United
States Department of Agriculture for purposes of implementing a National
Animal Identification System that in no way challenges the genuine food
health and security problems posed by factory farming, " Broadhurst
observes. "The National Animal Identification System would put small and
family farmers out of business by compelling even the smallest of farms to
pay the same program registration fees as would be paid by farms with over
10,000 birds. Small and family farmers would be required to tag each
individual animal, while the largest of farms could make but one tag for
groups of animals. The program would price small and family farmers right
out of business."



The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has recently
suspended the uploading of animal census data to the USDA, but not before
data for 3500 premises was submitted to the USDA with neither the knowledge
nor consent of affected farmers. Enabling legislation for the National
Animal Identification System has yet to be passed, and compliance with the
system was supposed to be voluntary.



"That we would, in the name of food security, force reliance on factory
farms by putting small and family farms out of business is absurd,"
Broadhurst argues. "Factory farms are the most susceptible by far to
disease. Organic farming and other techniques pioneered by small and family
farms are the very best avenues for food security. The health risks posed in
farming today do not arise from uncontrolled individual animals, but from
the conditions that animals are kept in. The National Animal Identification
System ignores the genuine health and security risks for consumers,
improving food security not a bit."


-- 
Owen R. Broadhurst
Candidate for State Representative
Third Hampden District
http://www.owenbroadhurst.org