Farm Bureau stance on bait/feed ban sticks as members undertake policymaking
Farm Bureau stance on bait/feed ban sticks as members undertake policymaking
Farm Bureau stance on bait/feed ban sticks as members undertake policymaking
Farm Bureau stance on bait/feed ban sticks as members undertake policymaking
Farm Bureau stance on bait/feed ban sticks as members undertake policymaking
Contact: Sarah Black, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2040
LANSING, Dec. 8, 2008 — At Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) 89th Annual Meeting last week, the organization reaffirmed its support of a statewide ban on deer baiting and feeding to control the spread of animal diseases such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis.
Wildlife management was among the more than 140 resolutions considered by MFB members as they gathered in Grand Rapids Dec. 2-5 to vote on organizational policies that will guide MFB action in 2009.
In reaffirming support for a ban, members acknowledged the challenges facing farmers who grow crops for use as deer bait and feed, but said the ban is necessary, as supported by science, to prevent the spread of disease between wildlife and farm-raised deer and cattle. They also agreed that normal agricultural practices should not be considered baiting and feeding in the state’s enforcement of a ban.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director (DNR) Rebecca Humphries addressed the MFB delegation on Dec. 4 as part of a guest panel and complimented Farm Bureau on its support of a baiting and feeding ban currently in effect in the Lower Peninsula. The Lower Peninsula ban is permanent and odds of reversing the order “are very slim,” said Humphries, adding that discussion to extend the ban to the Upper Peninsula probably isn’t far off.
Both Humphries and fellow panelist Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto pledged to help crop farmers impacted by the ban. This includes providing “clear and reasonable answers” to farmers’ questions on what to do with their cull crops. Cull crops are those that don’t meet quality standards for consumer food sales but had been sold as deer bait and feed in the past.
In other wildlife management matters, the membership adopted policy that calls for statewide eradication of feral swine. To help achieve this, the organization supports the development and implementation of management practices and rules for swine hunting. These would include disease testing and fencing requirements, along with premise registration and individual animal identification. Until such rules are implemented, MFB supports a quarantine of all swine hunting operations.
Other policies adopted at the meeting included the following:
* An animal care policy that opposes the use of ballot initiatives as a means to “control modern livestock production and management practices,” and supports making the state’s Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) for animal care the standard for animal welfare in Michigan.
* A new agricultural product labeling policy that favors “consumer-friendly, science-based labeling,” and opposes “false, misleading or deceptive marketing, promotion and/or label claims.”
• An amended policy concerning bovine tuberculosis (TB) which includes support for continuous, 24-hour surveillance of livestock movement across the Mackinac Bridge, as well as the reclassification of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties to the state’s Modified Accredited Advanced Zone.
* An amended policy on nonpoint source pollution and watershed management which says farmers should not be restricted from using phosphorous so long as farmers are following the state’s GAAMPs.
The membership also voted on proposed national resolutions, which will be considered by state Farm Bureaus at the American Farm Bureau Federation 90th Convention and Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-14 in San Antonio, Texas. Among them is a resolution concerning demand for a regulated and legal work force in the agriculture industry, and the need for a reliable and sufficient agricultural guest worker program.
Proposed resolutions were presented to the farmer delegation by a 20-member MFB Policy Development Committee, which consolidated 820 resolutions adopted by county Farm Bureaus to 145 resolutions for delegates to consider. Some resolutions proposed new organizational policy, but most amended or reaffirmed existing policy.
Once MFB’s 2009 policy book is compiled based on this week’s actions, all policies will be available for review on the MFB Web site at http://www.michfb.com.
MFB is the state’s largest general farm organization and represents more than 47,000 farm families.
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Contact: Sarah Black, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2040
LANSING, Dec. 8, 2008 — At Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) 89th Annual Meeting last week, the organization reaffirmed its support of a statewide ban on deer baiting and feeding to control the spread of animal diseases such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis.
Wildlife management was among the more than 140 resolutions considered by MFB members as they gathered in Grand Rapids Dec. 2-5 to vote on organizational policies that will guide MFB action in 2009.
In reaffirming support for a ban, members acknowledged the challenges facing farmers who grow crops for use as deer bait and feed, but said the ban is necessary, as supported by science, to prevent the spread of disease between wildlife and farm-raised deer and cattle. They also agreed that normal agricultural practices should not be considered baiting and feeding in the state’s enforcement of a ban.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director (DNR) Rebecca Humphries addressed the MFB delegation on Dec. 4 as part of a guest panel and complimented Farm Bureau on its support of a baiting and feeding ban currently in effect in the Lower Peninsula. The Lower Peninsula ban is permanent and odds of reversing the order “are very slim,” said Humphries, adding that discussion to extend the ban to the Upper Peninsula probably isn’t far off.
Both Humphries and fellow panelist Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto pledged to help crop farmers impacted by the ban. This includes providing “clear and reasonable answers” to farmers’ questions on what to do with their cull crops. Cull crops are those that don’t meet quality standards for consumer food sales but had been sold as deer bait and feed in the past.
In other wildlife management matters, the membership adopted policy that calls for statewide eradication of feral swine. To help achieve this, the organization supports the development and implementation of management practices and rules for swine hunting. These would include disease testing and fencing requirements, along with premise registration and individual animal identification. Until such rules are implemented, MFB supports a quarantine of all swine hunting operations.
Other policies adopted at the meeting included the following:
* An animal care policy that opposes the use of ballot initiatives as a means to “control modern livestock production and management practices,” and supports making the state’s Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) for animal care the standard for animal welfare in Michigan.
* A new agricultural product labeling policy that favors “consumer-friendly, science-based labeling,” and opposes “false, misleading or deceptive marketing, promotion and/or label claims.”
• An amended policy concerning bovine tuberculosis (TB) which includes support for continuous, 24-hour surveillance of livestock movement across the Mackinac Bridge, as well as the reclassification of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties to the state’s Modified Accredited Advanced Zone.
* An amended policy on nonpoint source pollution and watershed management which says farmers should not be restricted from using phosphorous so long as farmers are following the state’s GAAMPs.
The membership also voted on proposed national resolutions, which will be considered by state Farm Bureaus at the American Farm Bureau Federation 90th Convention and Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-14 in San Antonio, Texas. Among them is a resolution concerning demand for a regulated and legal work force in the agriculture industry, and the need for a reliable and sufficient agricultural guest worker program.
Proposed resolutions were presented to the farmer delegation by a 20-member MFB Policy Development Committee, which consolidated 820 resolutions adopted by county Farm Bureaus to 145 resolutions for delegates to consider. Some resolutions proposed new organizational policy, but most amended or reaffirmed existing policy.
Once MFB’s 2009 policy book is compiled based on this week’s actions, all policies will be available for review on the MFB Web site at http://www.michfb.com.
MFB is the state’s largest general farm organization and represents more than 47,000 farm families.
-30-
Contact: Sarah Black, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2040
LANSING, Dec. 8, 2008 — At Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) 89th Annual Meeting last week, the organization reaffirmed its support of a statewide ban on deer baiting and feeding to control the spread of animal diseases such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis.
Wildlife management was among the more than 140 resolutions considered by MFB members as they gathered in Grand Rapids Dec. 2-5 to vote on organizational policies that will guide MFB action in 2009.
In reaffirming support for a ban, members acknowledged the challenges facing farmers who grow crops for use as deer bait and feed, but said the ban is necessary, as supported by science, to prevent the spread of disease between wildlife and farm-raised deer and cattle. They also agreed that normal agricultural practices should not be considered baiting and feeding in the state’s enforcement of a ban.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director (DNR) Rebecca Humphries addressed the MFB delegation on Dec. 4 as part of a guest panel and complimented Farm Bureau on its support of a baiting and feeding ban currently in effect in the Lower Peninsula. The Lower Peninsula ban is permanent and odds of reversing the order “are very slim,” said Humphries, adding that discussion to extend the ban to the Upper Peninsula probably isn’t far off.
Both Humphries and fellow panelist Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto pledged to help crop farmers impacted by the ban. This includes providing “clear and reasonable answers” to farmers’ questions on what to do with their cull crops. Cull crops are those that don’t meet quality standards for consumer food sales but had been sold as deer bait and feed in the past.
In other wildlife management matters, the membership adopted policy that calls for statewide eradication of feral swine. To help achieve this, the organization supports the development and implementation of management practices and rules for swine hunting. These would include disease testing and fencing requirements, along with premise registration and individual animal identification. Until such rules are implemented, MFB supports a quarantine of all swine hunting operations.
Other policies adopted at the meeting included the following:
* An animal care policy that opposes the use of ballot initiatives as a means to “control modern livestock production and management practices,” and supports making the state’s Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) for animal care the standard for animal welfare in Michigan.
* A new agricultural product labeling policy that favors “consumer-friendly, science-based labeling,” and opposes “false, misleading or deceptive marketing, promotion and/or label claims.”
• An amended policy concerning bovine tuberculosis (TB) which includes support for continuous, 24-hour surveillance of livestock movement across the Mackinac Bridge, as well as the reclassification of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties to the state’s Modified Accredited Advanced Zone.
* An amended policy on nonpoint source pollution and watershed management which says farmers should not be restricted from using phosphorous so long as farmers are following the state’s GAAMPs.
The membership also voted on proposed national resolutions, which will be considered by state Farm Bureaus at the American Farm Bureau Federation 90th Convention and Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-14 in San Antonio, Texas. Among them is a resolution concerning demand for a regulated and legal work force in the agriculture industry, and the need for a reliable and sufficient agricultural guest worker program.
Proposed resolutions were presented to the farmer delegation by a 20-member MFB Policy Development Committee, which consolidated 820 resolutions adopted by county Farm Bureaus to 145 resolutions for delegates to consider. Some resolutions proposed new organizational policy, but most amended or reaffirmed existing policy.
Once MFB’s 2009 policy book is compiled based on this week’s actions, all policies will be available for review on the MFB Web site at http://www.michfb.com.
MFB is the state’s largest general farm organization and represents more than 47,000 farm families.
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