Comment from Cassandra Mieslik

Small farmers and urban poultry owners alike are threatened by the USDA’s new proposal for animal identification. The agency has proposed a rule that imposes costs and paperwork burdens on farmers, ranchers, backyard poultry owners, sale barns, vets, and state agencies in order to track animals that cross state lines. Plus limits us, the consumer, to industrial raised animals, which are raised in dirty, unhealthy conditions, treated with drugs and unfit foods. The proposed rule is a solution in search of a problem. The USDA has failed to identify the specific problem or disease of concern, and the real focus of the program is helping the export market for the benefit of a handful of large corporations. The agency has also failed to account for the full cost to both private individuals and state governments, creating an unfunded mandate. The new rule will harm rural businesses while wasting taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on the real problems we face in controlling animal disease, food security, and food safety. Family, backyard farmers, & small ranchers cannot afford additional paperwork and unnecessary expenses, while big agriculture businesses continue with business as usual, at the expense of the consumer’s health. Sincerely, Cassandra Mieslik