Title: Confirmed: Michigan pig ban will eliminate all heritage breeds, destroy thousands of small-scale farms Source:
Natural News URL Source:http://www.naturalnews.com/035403_heritage_pigs_farms_Michigan.html Published:Apr 16, 2012 Author:Jonathan Benson Post Date:2012-04-16 15:46:41 by SJN Keywords:None Views:1961 Comments:6
As many NaturalNews readers now know, the state of Michigan's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently issued a final ruling on its invasive species order (ISO) for swine that targets destructive "feral" species for elimination across the state. But what many people do not realize is that because of the careless way in which the order was created, all unconventional pig breeds, including heritage breeds raised by small-scale farms, are also lumped into this "feral" category as well.
Contrary to some of the claims currently spreading across the internet elsewhere, DNR's ISO does not simply target feral breeds responsible for destroying crops and forests. As we pointed out in a recent article on the matter, the ISO brands certain hair colors, fur types, tail and skeletal structures, and various other characteristics as being indicators of a feral breed, even though these descriptors also identify many heritage breeds that have been raised in Michigan for many decades (http://www.naturalnews.com/035372_Michigan_pigs_farm_freedom.html).
In other words, there is nothing sensational or overblown about the claims made that the state of Michigan has basically declared war on all pig breeds besides the select few raised by large-scale factory farms. The DNR's approach to the situation is beyond misguided -- it is a blatantly-unscientific assault on small-scale pig farmers across the state of Michigan, many of which face being completely put out of business.
"The DNR's thinking is irrational," writes Senator Darwin L. Booher from Michigan's 35th District in a recent article on the issue. "The department says we must ban certain pigs because the state has a feral hog problem (pigs running at-large or outside a fence). But since all pigs outside of a fence are feral and the DNR cannot genetically differentiate between swine, the department decided to ban certain pigs in Michigan simply due to their appearance" (http://www.misenategop.com).
Sen. Booher also points out that DNR does not even have the proper jurisdiction to involve itself in private pig-raising operations, as its sole purpose is to manage game and wildlife owned by the public. So in essence, DNR has taken a similar approach with pigs as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has done with raw milk -- just ban all forms and varieties that deviate from the conventional norm.
Be sure to listen to the interview between Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and Mark Baker from Baker's Green Acres, a heritage pig raiser whose entire farm is threatened by the new order: http://buzz.naturalnews.com/000025-Michigan-pigs-invasive_species.html
You can also watch a video created by the Bakers themselves at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=843yH_0RMIA
Conspiracy, Capital C: Michigan Farmers Learn Hard Way How Agenda 21 Affects Them
April 17, 2012 by Tad Cronn
Liberals love to dismiss any talk of a global plan to take over small farms and destroy private ownership as “conspiracy theory.”
Michigan farmers are starting to learn that there’s nothing theoretical about it and the conspiracy is quite real.
NaturalNews.com reports that the state’s Department of Natural Resources recently conducted at least two armed raids on pig farmers, including bringing the entire goon squad of at least six vehicles and about a dozen armed officers.
Were the farmers criminals?
According to the DNR they were, and the raids included felony arrest warrants. But the actual crime was … raising pigs.
Under an “invasive species order,” or ISO, the state of Michigan has declared the pig farmers’ livestock to be an invasive species, and the raids were planned for the purpose of killing said pigs.
Farmer Dave Tuxberry reported slaughtering all of his pigs in advance of the DNR raids, hoping to avoid arrest. But according to NaturalNews, the DNR conducted the raid anyway, tossing the place and generally doing the jack- booted thug thing.
After four hours, the DNR officers decided that all the pigs were indeed dead, and they gave the farmer papers to the effect that he was no longer breaking the law because he was out of business.
Another farmer reported the interrogation of his customers, and he says his regular meat processor was so terrorized that she will no longer take his pigs for fear her company will be raided, but the loss of business will cause her severe financial harm.
The invasive species order issued by the state declares that nearly all small family farms raising open-range pigs are engaged in illegal activity. The pigs are declared to be “wild hogs” under the ISO, distinguished by their hair type. Raising pigs of the wrong hair color is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Wrap your head around that for a moment. First, how can a hog be “wild” if it’s being “raised”? And now it’s criminal to even have one of these evil creatures in your possession.
The farms, most of which have been in business for decades, are competition to “Big Pork,” in this case the Michigan Pork Producers Association, which explains the ISO on its website.
This is straight out of Agenda 21, the United Nations’ plan for global “sustainable development.” Part of that plan aims for the elimination of small farms as a waste of resources.
It also seeks a reduction of the population. And if you’re going to do that, targeting the diversity of a nation’s food supply could be a good way to start.
Nationally, the federal Department of Transportation has been going after family farms by reclassifying most farm vehicles as commercial vehicles, requiring anyone driving a tractor to invest in training and a commercial drivers license, and placing the equipment under laws intended for semi-trucks driven on the road. It would also ban young, underage farmers from using a tractor.
Note that the DOT Secretary Ray LaHood holds a seat on the recently created White House Rural Council, which has ties to George Soros and the Center for American Progress.
The EPA, of course, is getting in on the act, taking small farms as “buffer zones” for waterways to protect them from pesticides. Under Agenda 21, these areas are designated as not inhabitable by humans, as detailed by the Wildlands Project.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is on the Rural Council, which was established, according to President Obama, “to strengthen rural communities and promote economic growth.”
