Greg Niewendorp Responds to Forced Testing and Tagging of His Cattle

Following is a statement by Greg Niewendorp on the forced testing and tagging, by the Michigan Department of Agriculture on Monday, October 8, of his carefully raised and managed herd of heritage cattle.
East Jordan, Michigan—Tuesday Oct. 9, 2007, 2:47 a.m.
In reviewing the events of the last 24 hours, several thoughts need to be addressed and considered. The most pertinent, which I woke up to at 1:00 a.m., is the Mark of the Beast. The Amish community, in Michigan and elsewhere, believes the premises ID to be the Mark of the Beast. As a result, several Michigan state senators became incensed with then Director of Agriculture Mitch Irwin. The situation became so heated in Lansing that the Michigan Agricultural Commission, heavily influenced by Farm Bureau [bureau: from the Latin for “fluff”], decided to relieve Irwin and brought in Don Koivisto as replacement. So we, already, have taken out a Director of Agriculture and now we’re going to take out another one over the same issue, because Gregory Lee Niewendorp’s God given divine rights to freedom to express his spiritual beliefs have been violated, again.

Do the Amish have exclusive right to the belief that the RFID and the premises ID is the Mark of the Beast?

So now the question is, do I have my cattle available for them when they come to read the results of the caudal fold skin test on Thursday—by subjectively feeling for the bump under the tail? And this is supposed to be objective science we are dealing with here. I will be on my property free-grazing my cattle on horseback, and they can come and find me. Do I herd the cattle to the holding pen that they left on my property? Do I willingly cooperate? We’re coming into the end of our grazing season and I have to free graze on the unfenced portions of my property which are brushy woodland. Government is forcing us to do business on their terms, where they are claiming control of our cattle. They attempted to force me to sign a compliance statement last February, which I refused. Is this action that they have taken a consummation of the contract of the conveyance of my property, where I am now a tenant and they control the property?

What we saw in the last 24-hours were people who wanted to break out of our old system of a culture of individualism in to a new system where human politicalness is no longer relegated to private relationships where it is distorted into narrow, private, ego-driven struggles. Private life is too small a stage for developing our political capacity. Being political means being confrontational. Change only comes and goes the direction we want if we demand it. We are not going to power for a decision, we are going to power with a decision.

Please check regularly for non-compliance updates at http://www.vicfa.net and http://www.nicfa.org .


***ACTION***
PLEASE CALL THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
at 517.373.1077 or 1-800-292-3939
AND EXPRESS YOURSELF TO:


Bridget Patrick, Bovine TB Project Coordinator, (517) 241-2669, patrickb@michigan.gov
Don Koivisto, Director of Agriculture
Steve Halstead, State Vet
Pat Lockwood, Liaison to the Governor’s Office


Non-Compliance Relief Fund:
Taking a stand of non-compliance puts a tremendous toll on one’s resources. The National Organization for Raw Materials (NORM) established the Non-Compliance Relief Fund to provide specific support for those like Greg NIewendorp who take such a courageous position. To support Greg and others like him, please donate here (single donation or monthly pledge) or send a check made out to NORM to:

Non-Compliance Relief Fund
c/o NORM
680 E 5 Point Highway
Charlotte, MI 48813

http://www.normeconomics.com/

Many thanks,
Deborah Stockton, Editor
VICFA Voice
http://www.vicfa.net
editor@vicfa.net

The Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (VICFA)
Our purpose is to promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade
that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products.
VICFA opposes any government funded or managed National Animal Identification System.