Monday, March 15, 2010

Wisconsin Judge Rules AGAINST Mandatory Premise Registration

 Another strike against NAIS or what ever the USDA wants to try and call it now.  Wisconsin was one of the first states to require mandatory premise registration for all livestock owners. They didn't allow for religious exemptions such as for the Amish. Well one Amish man stood up to the State of Wisconsin and refused to participate for religious reasons.  The State of Wisconsin decided to prosecute him for failure to comply and they lost in court! The Judge ruled that the farmer has a "religious right" to be exempted from the law and that the state did not show enough evidence that they allowed for alternative ways to get a hold of farmers who wished to be exempted. 

The full story can be read here at the Wisconsin Ag Connection.  Although the State of Wisconsin plans to appeal this decision, I don't see how they can win against the constitutional argument for freedom of religion. Additionally since the USDA has dropped all attempts at this time to require mandatory registration nationwide, the State of Wisconsin no longer has a National Program policy to follow.
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2 comments:

  1. Sherry SikstromMarch 15, 2010 at 9:22 AM

    A good reminder that standing strong can make a difference! I don't like these blanket policies either

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  2. RuthMarch 16, 2010 at 7:34 AM

    Awesome! Good for him for standing up for his rights even though the gov't is trying to take them away. To be honest I don't see how NAIS can be fully implemented the way the gov't wants. The change in the name and reported ending of the program says they know we know it isn't (and never was) about food safety, it's about gov't control over where our food comes from. If it was about food safety they'd be encouraging people to grow and raise their own food, not punishing people for doing so "without authorization".

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