By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

EAST JORDAN, Mich. — Gregory Niewendorp doesn’t like Michigan’s electronic animal identification (EID) system much, or the state’s bovine TB testing program.

In fact, he so dislikes them that he’s refusing to comply with its requirements. When representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) came to his ranch a few weeks ago to test his 19 cows for bovine TB, he refused to allow the testing.

He’s part of a group of farmers and ranchers nationally who object to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and similar programs at the state level.

Walter Jeffries, a Vermont farmer who runs the www.NoNAIS.org website, described the NAIS as, “big, bad, bloated, bureaucratic, bungling, Neo-Nazi, Nasty, Nanny State government.”

The MDA justifies its requirement that cattle wear a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag by saying that it helps authorities improve animal tracking for disease control and eradication programs, especially bovine TB.

The federal government might also require ranchers to tag their cattle if the state is to upgrade its lower bovine TB zones to a higher TB status.

“Mr. Niewendorp is in the zone where we know TB is,” said Steven Halsted, the veterinarian for the state of Michigan. “Mr. Niewendorp has refused to allow us to do the annual TB test this time.”

In an interview, Niewendorp struck a note of defiance.
“I’m going to produce my beef on my land for myself, my family, my friends,” he said. “They want control of our food supply. Globalism is here, my friend.”

Ernie Birchmeier, livestock and dairy specialist for the Michigan Farm Bureau, said Michigan’s EID system is not the same thing as NAIS.

According to Birchmeier, there has been some confusion about these programs, because they have similar components.

“It is a Michigan-only program,” Birchmeier said.
Birchmeier acknowledged that there are concerns among some ranchers and farmers about aspects of the EID system, such as privacy concerns.

According to Birchmeier, the tags can only be read from a short distance - approximately three feet.

“EID simplifies and streamlines the testing on the farm,” Halsted said.

According to the MDA, cattle must be tagged only if they are leaving the farm to be sold or changing ownership. These requirements apply to cattle only.

According to Halsted, there are a few individuals that object to the EID system, based on either economic or personal liberty concerns.
These individuals tend to be highly motivated, he said.

“We respect his right to private property,” Halsted said of Niewendorp. “We feel that the represented industry has been supportive” of the programs.

By represented industry, Halsted means the Michigan Cattlemen’s Assoc., Michigan Farm Bureau and similar agricultural organizations.

According to Birchmeier, 98 percent of the cattle showing up at sale barns in Michigan are electronically tagged.

For more information about farmers who object to electronic tagging, visit the website, www.nonais.org

For details, about the Michigan program, visit www.michigananimalid.com

This farm news was published in the March 28, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.