Archive for the ‘farm freedom’ Category
Happy Independence Day from Naturally-Texan
July 2nd, 2010 | 
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Hard to believe it’s summer again, and sweltering in Texas though we’ve had a nice break the last few days with a good amount of rain due to the hurricane down south. Here in Texas we’ve always taken great joy in celebrating Independence Day. After all we are one of the few states that can boast our own independence.
I find myself thinking about what that really means these days though. Are we truly free? In some ways yes, but in other ways we are definitely not. It’s been a busy summer already with reports of food and health freedoms being trampled upon by an over-eager government enforcing outrageous regulations and not just in our country.
Locally we felt it. It was with great sadness and not a little anger that I write about one episode close to home. Our local CSA was shut down by the USDA because of outrageous requirements that make sense on large farms and no sense at all on small operations selling directly to the customer. What was the evil they committed? Recycling wax boxes to save money and prevent waste instead of always using new ones when harvesting the organic produce.
In Great Britain they are now banning the sale of eggs and other food products by number instead of by weight/volume. That sounds alright on the surface but then again when you consider it is now illegal to buy eggs by the dozen or a dozen dinner rolls, or even to see how many rolls are in a package it begins to become absurd. These regulations are burdensome on the producers and end up costing money to regulate which increases the tax burden and they cost money for the producers to comply. For example in this situation the egg producers and shopkeepers will have to design and obtain all new packaging, will have to design new methods to weigh and calculate instead of just put 12 medium sized eggs in the medium carton and the costs for all of this will be transfered to the consumer. Read more here: EU to ban selling of eggs by the dozen
Back here at home we have the FDA telling us that we do not have the right to obtain our own food or to make informed decisions about what types of food we will purchase and cosume. Read more: “FDA says ‘No right to eat what you want’”. This was in response to the law suit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) claiming that the federal regulations against the purchase and consumption of raw milk are unconstitutional.
With this news it should come as no surprise that the FDA is also moving to severely limit the amount of “sodium” in processed foods, also sounds good on the face of it but is it really? Real salts have minerals that are good for the human body and are required for many foods to be preserved, and also for them to taste good. What do you suppose will take the place so producers can make sure their products don’t spoil and they taste good? Probably dangerous toxins like MSG. That would likely suit the FDA just fine as they’ve shown a serious conflict of interest with the large corporations that make food additives, GMOs and other products including the monster Monsanto. The FDA has a revolving door with Monsanto where Monsanto executives end up running the FDA, then head back to Monsanto and big bucks and who knows what else. When will this corruption end? Read more: Labeling Issues, Revolving Doors, rBGH, Bribery and Monsanto
This Independence Day I’d like to ask you all to think about what freedom means to you. To think about what our country fought for when they decided to declare their independence. Did that include the most fundamental rights to choose what we eat and how we live? I think so. How about you?
Posted in FDA, Food Freedom, Holidays, Independence Day, Politics, USDA, Uncategorized, farm freedom | 
Tags: 4th of July, Food Freedom, Health Freedom, Independence Day, right to food | 
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New Federal Muscovy Duck Regulations Passed
Image of a Muscovy Duck
However, agency officials say that for now they will not enforce the new regulations while the consider making revisions.
Confused yet? You aren’t the only ones. Let’s back it up a bit for those people who are just now learning about this situation.
Some months ago the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced proposed changes to current migratory bird regulations that would include Muscovy Ducks as a regulated species and prohibit ownership, transportation or use of these birds except by those who obtain the required permits (and a few public entities that are exempt).
This was in response to some nuisance populations of these birds in states like Florida where feral and wild birds have become burdensome to parks and golf courses. The fact that this regulation is too broad including all Muscovy Ducks with no exemption for the domesticated birds seemed to be of little concern, until now.
Originally the announcement was made in the Federal Register, which is not a publication widely read by the hundreds of farmers, poultry exhibitors, and pet owners in the United States. So it is of little surprise then that, according to Dr. George Allen of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “little response” was received to the proposed changes and the agency went forward to enact the new regulations as of March 31, 2010.
White Muscovy Ducks on a Farm
However, there has been growing protest against the regulation and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service does appear to be listening. Which is great news, let’s take advantage of it by sending in polite, thoughtful letters that explain the situation from a farmer, pet owner, or exhibitor’s point of view… or as a consumer. Here’s a template letter made by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
According to the Fact Sheet, and one official Dr. George Allen, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was ““…unaware of the extent to which muscovies are maintained in captivity and did not know of any organization to inform about the proposed changes.”
The fact that they seem aware at all now is partially do in part to the work of such groups such as the American Poultry Association and private farmers, exhibitors and owners on various forums and mailing lists on the web. I know I heard about it in March through one of the rare poultry email list groups I read.
Now we also have the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund addressing the issue and soliciting comments from those people affected by this new regulation that have not had a chance to make their voices heard until now. They have an explanation of the legalities of this situation, a plan of action and a letter template for you to use to add your voice to the opposition of this new regulation.
Ok, so the regulation is in place and Muscovy Duck ownership is now regulated, right? Yes, but it’s not that simple. The agency says they are considering revisions so they will not issue anyone a permit right now but not to worry because they aren’t enforcing the new regulations. Right. Seems like a legal trap there and it explains why some big hatcheries are no longer offering the Muscovy eggs to customers. Even if they mean well, it puts is in a difficult situation. Do we or don’t we?
The Muscovy Duck has an unusual head coloring.
My best advice is to proceed with caution, make your voice heard and educate as many people about this situation as you can and ask their help in preserving private Muscovy Duck ownership. If you decide to risk getting some Muscovy Ducks be prepared and keep a copy of the Fact Sheet on hand in case some officials decide to enforce the changes made to MBTA (50 CFR 10.13). They clearly state in the fact sheet that we do not need permits but then they say they did change the regulations to require we have permits but are not choosing to enforce it at this time.
From the Fact Sheet:
“4. Do I need a migratory bird permit to raise and sell Muscovy ducks now? No. Although we amended the regulations at 50 CFR 21.14 and 21.25 to restrict possession and sale of muscovy ducks, we will not restrict possession or sale, or issue permits for this species at this time. As a result of information received since publication of the final rules, the Service has decided to revise the regulations”
Do we know when we will see revisions? Not that I have been able to find out. Do we know what those revisions will be? No indications there either but it is hopeful that reasonable accommodations will be made for livestock birds. The fact that this federal agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has no real jurisdiction over domesticated livestock animals, that do not migrate, doesn’t seem to matter which is alarming.
In the mean time if you are concerned please check out the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s website. They have more information and a sample letter you can use to express your opposition to the rules as they stand now.
Also be sure to read the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s fact sheet about the Muscovy Duck regulations. There you can see their explanations and perhaps keeping a copy for your records is good in case someone does knock on your demanding your proof of permit to own, raise, breed, show, sell or eat Muscovy Ducks.
Also Dr. George Allen urges anyone with suggested changes to the regulations to email him at george_t_allen@fws.gov.
Now, what does this really mean? Well, the reality is that the agency has no hope of enforcing this nationwide. At least not in a fair manner. Instead it will end up being a case by case, who got turned in by a nasty neighbor or sting operations at farmer’s markets and other places where eggs and meat might be sold. With the FDA’s sneaky tactics against raw milk sales it’s hard to place a limit on what these agencies will do. What they can and cannot do seems to be well defined but that doesn’t seem to limit the FDA’s harassment of dairy farmers across the USA. That, is of course a long and important topic for another day.
Read the Final Rule Here:
Another Article on this issue:
Muscovy Duck ‘Protection” gets mixed reviews in Florida | Palm Beach Post
Other interesting Muscovy Duck Websites:
AvianWeb’s Muscovy Duck Info Sheet
http://www.avianweb.com/muscovyduck.html
The Muscovy Duck Standard
http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/witt_farms/themuscovyduckstandard.html
Muscovy Duck Central (for those who LOVE these ducks)
http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/
Muscovy Duck Wikipedia
