Wisconsin Ag Connection - State Lawmaker Wants to Ease Premise I.D. Rules

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State Lawmaker Wants to Ease Premise I.D. Rules
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 04/06/2009

There has been some resistance to Wisconsin's Livestock Premise Registration law that went into effect in January 2006--especially from the Amish community. As a result, Rep. Scott Suder of Abbotsford says he is introducing a bill that would make the registration process voluntary.

Under the current provision, anyone who keeps, houses or co-mingle livestock in Wisconsin are required to register their premises. Such animals include aquaculture, bovine, camelids, cervidea, equine, goats, captive game birds, poultry, ratites, sheep and swine. But Suder feels the rules infringe on the property rights of farmers.

"When we conducted the hearings, DATCP said they would go with a voluntary system with exemptions for certain farmers," Suder said. "They frankly, I think, lied to us."

WCCN Radio reports that Clark County District Attorney Darwin Zwieg has filed the first 'test case' on the law last year. He cited an Amish man from Loyal for failing to comply. Many Old Order Amish farmers say Premise I.D. is just the first step toward the eventual tagging of all animals, or the 'Mark of the Beast.'

Meanwhile, State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt is defending the law. He says it is necessary for public health because the rules' intent is for officials to identify populations of "at risk" animals in case of a disease outbreak.

But the intent of the rules are up for interpretation. Two years ago, then-Rep. Barb Gronemus--who was the lead author of the legislation in 2003--stating that her intentions were not to threaten producers, but rather give them an incentive to get an animal tracking system in place, should there ever be a catastrophic disease outbreak.

Wisconsin is only one of two states requiring mandatory premises registration.