RichmondLiberty.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Libertarians join “Granny Warriors” to Protest against Federal Animal Surveillance Law

Richmond, VA October 19, 2006 - Grassroots activist group Granny Warriors will be holding a protest downtown on Tuesday against the National Animal ID System (“NAIDS”), the controversial set of livestock regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Libertarians from the area will also join in the protest. The event will be held Tuesday, October 24th from 9AM to 4PM at 11th and Broad Street in downtown Richmond, VA.

If enacted, NAIS could require all owners of “livestock” to embed an ID microchip within the bodies of their animals. The requirement would apply to small family farmers, and even to individual owners of animals some would consider pets. Under this regulation, someone who owns an individual horse or chicken could have the same expensive and confusing legal obligations as large farms and ranches.

This year the Granny Warriors have set their sights on NAIS, touring now through nine southern states to protest the USDA proposal. Based out of East Texas, Granny Warriors is an organization of elderly women touring the country in a decked-out RV to campaign for the rights of animal owners. They travel to public venues throughout the country, where they raise awareness about the gradual erosion of animal owners’ rights. The Granny Warriors consider themselves necessary to counter radical activist groups such as PETA who would ban all human possession of pets or livestock. Their activities are fueled--quite literally--by the small donations they receive for gas money to drive around the county. Having now come to Richmond, the Granny Warriors are receiving support from local affiliates of the Libertarian Party.

“This is big-government nannyism at its worse,” says Matt Martin, Vice-Chair of the Henrico County Libertarian Party. “We have people in Washington dictating the behavior of animal owners in the heartland. We have an unelected agency, with virtually no input from individual animal owners, burdening citizens and small farms with crippling legal obligations. Hasn't Washington done enough to destroy small farms?”

Right now the program is voluntary, but according to the USDA website, the agency may institute mandatory requirements as early as 2008. The USDA claims NAIS will be helpful in tracking animal disease, yet even the agency admits it would take 48 hours after an outbreak has already been reported to track down possibly infected animals, and ignores more effective methods of post-processing meat and poultry inspection. Many small farmers and individual animal owners consider NAIS overkill, or as Vermont farmer Walter Jeffries put it, “like driving thumb tacks with a 100 lb sledge hammer.”

“Even more disturbing is the Orwellian aspect of NAIS,” says Martin. “How long before the federal government decides to put these microchips in humans?”

The Libertarian Party is organized in all 50 states and has run a candidate in every presidential election since it was formed in 1972. Locally the Libertarian Party of Henrico formed in 2002 and has a strong voice on the local political scene. Libertarians advocate returning government to its proper and limited role of protecting individual rights and ceasing other activities inconsistent with that goal.

The event is open to the general public.

References:

http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml
http://nonais.org/
http://www.richmondliberty.org/mt/2006/10/protest_national_animal_id_pro.php
http://www.grannywarriors.com