NAIS threatens to wipe out family farms

[Guest guest]

Dear Hare Krishna dasi

 

Does your following quote indicate that in effect the ISKCON farms in the

USA would largely be unaffected?. Are there many ISKCON animals that leave

their premises?

 

>(The exception

>-- so far -- would be animals that are born and raised without ever

>leaving the premises, for their whole life.)

 

ys syam

[Guest guest]

On the first appearance, it might seem like this would not affect most

ISKCON farms, but it seems to be important to realize what the

underlying goal is for implementing this law.

 

The real goals *appear* to be these:

 

1. Protect the security and marketability of the beef market, so that

when a BSE cow or foot and mouth disease is discovered, beef producers

can say, "That cow was not from our herd, it's still safe to eat our beef."

 

2. Shut down small independent farms and take over their land. This

may sound paranoid, but in fact, this is what Monsanto is already doing

with its genetically modified seeds. The Monsanto vs Percy Schmeiser

case is only one example.

http://www.percyschmeiser.com/conflict.htm

 

3. Grab animals, under the guise of farmer "non-compliance" and

slaughter them and profit from sales of the meat.

 

4. Create a centralized data-base (managed by the National Cattlemen's

Beef Association) with all known farm land, so that major producers can

target land they would like to take over, and then begin their dirty

tricks to obtain that land.

 

Perhaps I am mistaken, but from the pattern of behavior we have seen

with these groups in the past, this is what I would expect. And, based

on the outcry from numerous small farmers and rare breeds associations,

I think this is the type of behavior they expect also.

 

So, if these are the real motives, then there are several ways the NAIS

law could help achieve these goals.

 

1. Farmers who sit on desirable land will be watched like a hawk for

any small infringement of the law, then have their animals confiscated

and slaughtered, while they are taken to court and slapped with

impossible penalty fees which will force them to sell their land.

 

2. Falsely frame farmers with non-compliance charges. One website

gives the example of farmers being penalized if an animal accidentally

breaks out and mingles with other animals. A false charge like this

could be brought. Just fighting the charge might cost so much that the

farm goes bankrupt. Practices like this are already in Monsanto's bag

of dirty tricks, as when they scatter their seed on farmer's land, and

then claim that the farmer has stolen it. Many farmers are already

losing their farms because of such cheating.

 

3. Once the program is implemented, it is really just one tiny step to

insist that *all* farmers must participate, even if animals always

remain on the premises. Given their long term goals, this seems almost

inevitable. They just have to holler "Mad Cow disease", and congress

will pass such a law. They will just say that many people who say they

will keep animals on their premises, do not do that, therefore everyone

should be forced to comply.

 

And, after all, is there anyone who has cows or horses who has never had

them break out and go on a neighbor's property? It will be very easy

for pro-NAIS forces to make such an argument, and couch it in terms of

"food safety." Members of congress who accept hefty donations from the

National Cattlemen's Beef Association will be sure to pass such an

amendment.

 

*********************

 

In practical terms, if devotee farmers decided to avoid implanting

microchips or using radio eartags on their cows by adopting the

"remaining on premises from birth to death" strategy, what this would

mean for ISKCON farms and devotee farmers would definitely entail a

clamp-down on public relations:

 

1. No more pada yatra.

2. No taking teams to participate in local parades and handing out

leaflets and prasadam.

3. Never letting one of your calves be used in a festival such as

Govardhana puja, if it is outside your property.

4. Never taking any of your animals to a county fair and using that for

a preaching opportunity.

5. Never letting your cows break out.

6. Never making arrangements to have your cows graze the slash of a

neighbor's vegetable field, etc.

7. Never letting your peacocks wander off your property

8. Never getting too sick, injured, or old to take care of your animals,

because they could never be transferred to a devotee farm even one mile

away.

9. Never rescuing an animal from a slaughter house.

10. Never helping out a nearby temple herd by grazing a couple retired

animals on your land.

11. Never purchasing animals from outside to improve your breeding base.

12. Never accepting gifts of animals from donors.

 

There are probably other implications as well, but these are just some

examples. And, one thing to keep in mind is that if this bill is

successful in the U.S., then it is likely to be imitated in other

countries that have a powerful commercial meat-producing lobby. Canada

and Australia come to mind, for example.

 

I must say, I have not thought this whole thing out, but it certainly

seems like a great danger -- and I am hoping that devotees in this

movement, especially in the U.S. will give it serious thought and

discussion in the coming weeks. (The first portion of the bill becomes

activated on July 1, 2006.)

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK) wrote:

 

>Dear Hare Krishna dasi

>

>Does your following quote indicate that in effect the ISKCON farms in the

>USA would largely be unaffected?. Are there many ISKCON animals that leave

>their premises?

>

>

>

>>(The exception

>>-- so far -- would be animals that are born and raised without ever

>>leaving the premises, for their whole life.)

>>

>>

>

>ys syam

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna.

 

The fears and concerns expressed by you are genuine. Business has to be

protected and expanded at the cost of others. It will be at the cost of ISKCON

farms too.

 

We have to have a plan to destroy the slaughter-houses. Though they are

currently very big and powerful, it is possible if we move strategically. First

and foremost, we should gather a critical mass of people from different forums

to take up the public space.

 

1) Hindus to oppose cow-slaughter

2) Organizations such as PETA demanding ethical treatment of animals.

3) Vegans to increase vegetarian in-take.

4) Convince some Christian and Muslim groups that the off-the-shelf meat is

against their religion.

5) Work with people in the senate to bring in laws that will satisfy these

groups forcing the slaughter houses to lobby with them at a huge cost.

6) Tie-up with frustrated employees within slaughterhouses to identify

loop-holes in the system so that they can be sued for violations.

 

I dont know if you have the team and money power to do it. But if there is no

strategic move, then there is no stopping this mania.

 

Yours Humbly

Rajaram V.

 

 

 

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