Farm animal ID program stirs fears, complaints

By Mary Elizabeth Fratini | Special to the Vermont Guardian
photo by Haris Begovic

Posted April 7, 2006

Vermonters do not need a license to own firearms, but under the guise of containing potential outbreaks of bird flu, they may soon be forced to register their farms with the state.

Last month, Secretary of Agriculture Steve Kerr testified before the legislative agriculture committees that the Agency of Agriculture’s Premises Identification (Premises ID) effort is necessary for advance planning to contain potential outbreaks of avian influenza. The free, and currently voluntary program, began in January and asks farmers, and others who host any livestock, to fill out a form identifying what animals they have and where they are located. The agency is floating rules to make the program mandatory and levy fines for anyone who fails to register.

“We have what is tantamount to a natural disaster brewing, [in the] possibility that avian influenza could come to Vermont, so we need every tool at our disposal,” said Mark Bosma, an agency spokesman. “If you have a fire at your house, how do you expect the fire department to put it out if they don’t know where you live?”

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