A
Slow, Irreversible, Unenviable Death of the Texas Dream
By Mike Kelley, Texas Animal
Health Commission Watch Group
The
horse industry in Texas, after decades of decline has had a resurgence of activity
in the past twenty years or so. Town folk that have never owned a horse or even
lived in the country are heading to the burb's looking for a better life.
They are looking for country homes and mounts for their children and themselves.
Older couples after years of struggling in the concrete jungle, with children
out the door, are heading back to the country to relive their cherished childhood
dreams: Riding the range, enjoying their 5-acre ranch, having a good old time
watching the Texas sunset. Cowboy churches are springing up all over Texas.
Bring your kids and horses on Sunday. Pray to the good Lord and then have a
Sunday afternoon family play day.
It really is a wonderful life for those of us that are lucky enough to live
the Texas dream. But our dream and life may come to a slow painful death in
the coming years.
Horse owners, individual companion livestock owners, small ranchers and other
livestock producers, even grandma and her prize laying hen need to be aware
that Big Brother Government and even more so BIG Agribusiness have eyes on them
and their money. The cancer that will devour our rural Texas lifestyle is called
the National Animal Identification Program (NAIS).
NAIS is the brainchild of large agribusiness and the meat packing industry.
These groups have members who sit on advisory councils of the USDA. Using excuses
of health and safety and 911, these groups have the USDA crafting the NAIS system
for corporate gain.
Few people realize that USDA's NAIS program is more about expanding and growing
the beef export industry than it is about animal health. Packers stand to increase
their profit margin by $20 to $30 per head by providing age and source verified
beef to Japan and other Pacific Rim Countries. The problem is the big beef export
industry does not want to pay to establish or maintain an age and source verification
program.
Likewise people do not realize that large corporate farms would love to expand
their markets by driving out little livestock producers. I bet you are thinking
that's all fine and dandy but what the heck does all this have to do with my
Texas rural life dream. I will see if I can explain.
In Texas large agribusiness and packers have a state agency that is a stakeholder
in their corporate business plan. Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is a
little known part of the executive branch of our state government. With eradication
of certain animal diseases this agency created in 1893 was slowly being reduced
in size by our state legislators. In fact there were recommendations from the
Texas Comptrollers office in 2003 to do away with TAHC and place it's duties
under the Texas Department of Agriculture.
In 2005 under pressure from state legislators to collect fees for their service,
TAHC executives devised a plan. Instead of charging agribusiness for veterinary
services rendered by TAHC they elected to raise fees 2,000 percent for Certificate
of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). Fees went from 25 cents for merely a form to
$5.00. TAHC executives protected their agribusiness stakeholders from cash hemorrhages
by placing the burden of fees on the backs of 4-H, FFA students, horse owners
and others who attend livestock shows and events that require CVI's.
Just when you thought, oh man that's bad, it gets even better. Enter the proposed
USDA NAIS program. TAHC executives saw this as an opportunity to further alleviate
any possibility of charging their agribusiness stakeholders for services rendered.
This is where horse owners, backyard livestock owners, companion animal owners,
small livestock producers and yes, even granny's laying hen comes into play.
TAHC executives crafted a long range-funding scheme for it's animal health insurance
plan that mainly benefits its big agribusiness buddies. Using excuses of proposed
USDA NAIS premises identification requirements TAHC was set to start collecting
on July 1, 2006 a mandatory $10 per year tax on every property where livestock
was housed.
With any tax plan there are always exemptions. You think, “Who me pay?
Oh no I only have one horse”. WRONG! Surely Granny's 150 X 75 foot lot
with one hen out back would be exempt. WRONG! So just who is exempt under the
TAHC proposed premises ID tax program. Well technically no one is, not even
4-H or FFA kid's who have projects at home on the farm.
There is a caveat to exemptions. Size and quantity does mater. What the heck
do you mean? Well, remember Granny's 150 X 75 foot lot? TAHC is going to tax
her $10 a year. Maybe you own old Betsy the milk cow on your one acre, you pay
the same tax. Mr. Ed, your child's trusty steed in your back yard you also pay
the same $10 year a tax. Heck maybe you are a larger rancher and have 10 acres.
You own a chicken, cow and pony, you still pay the same tax $10. Sounds fair
enough.
Let's say you have a 10,000-bird chicken ranch enterprise, how much tax are
you going to pay - only $10. Even for 35,000 acres with 2,000 goats –
you pay $10. TAHC has buzzwords like "commingle". TAHC encourages
all the big boys by telling them that if they have "multiple properties
to only apply for one premises ID " and subsequently only pay one $10 a
year tax.
All you have to do is say you "commingle " animals from property to
property. So if you have five 10,000-acre ranches in five counties with 3,000
head of cattle all you have to do is say the magic word "commingle"
and your tax bill is $10 per year for all five properties – the same price
as Granny will pay for her 150 x 75 foot lot.
Are you angry yet? Are you muttering, “They can go to the devil they will
not get me to register my property!”. They have to
find me first.
I have personally heard representatives of TAHC say, "Well we never intended
to go so far as messing with Granny and her laying hen if she does not comply".
You best think again. The TAHC proposed rules are quite clear if you do not
register your premises no matter how small it might be - you are committing
a class "C" misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 per day fine
for non compliance.
You also need to keep this in mind. TAHC makes the rules, interprets the rules,
polices the rules, assess judgments and collects fines.
So what's is the big picture? The big picture is the TAHC/ USDA NAIS program
is formulated to enhance the profitability and viability of large agribusiness
enterprises. Additional rules, costs and the burden of red tape will drive small
livestock operations out of business. TAHC’s proposed rules are specifically
written to fleece unsuspecting recreational/companion livestock owners out of
funds to subsidizes large agribusiness concerns. Those who stand to benefit
the least by NAIS stand to pay the most.
In the state of Texas once you cast the specter of fines and penalties for criminal
noncompliance of private livestock ownership you will see a slow, irreversible,
unenviable death of the Texas Dream.
For more information about NAIS, you can visit the Texas Animal Health Commission
Watch Group at www.TexasAnimalHealthCommissionWatch.com.