Over the last two weeks, Andrea Elliott has been writing emails to farm associations, her Congressman, and members of the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees—all urging that the upcoming farm bill not include funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). She and her husband, Jim, own a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and she made it plain in her notes that she is adamantly opposed to registering the farm’s 80 cows under the federal program.
Yesterday (Monday) she received a call from an inspector with the New York Department of Food and Markets in Albany that he planned to come by the farm for a special inspection, based on “a complaint” made to the department’s Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services.
Andrea couldn’t imagine who might have complained, and what the complaint might have been about. Her farm, Crystal Brook Farms, sells nearly all its milk to a local creamery for pasteurization. She sells a few gallons of raw milk occasionally to individuals who stop in with their own containers, under New York rules that allow sale of 25 gallons a month without a permit.
Today (Tuesday), the inspector, Bradley Lyle Houck, arrived from Albany, two hours away, together with her regular local dairy inspector, and Andrea was prepared. As soon as they arrived, “I turned on my video camera. I think that made them a little uncomfortable.”
Then, she says, “I asked the state inspector to fill out my form.” Her form is a three-page “public service questionnaire” that asks for the inspector’s identity, his principal reason for doing the inspection, how the information he gathers will be used, and other such data.
“He shook his head and refused,” says Andrea. “He said, ‘I have to be authorized by Albany.’” He tried to make a call on his cell phone, but couldn’t complete the call because the farm area has no cell reception.
Andrea persisted. “I said, This is our property and I can require you to fill it out.’” He offered his state ID and badge.
Andrea moved on. “I asked him why he was here and he said a complaint was received in Albany.”
What was the complaint? “He said he couldn’t tell me.”
Who filed the complaint? “He wouldn’t tell me. He just wouldn’t go any further. He said all complaints that come into Albany are treated as confidential.”
“I asked him what statute allows a complaint to be treated as confidential. He said he couldn’t quote a statute.”
At that point, the inspector asked if they could talk off-camera. Andrea declined.
“He said, ‘I guess the best thing would be for us to come back another time.” The two got back into their car and took off.
Andrea adds, “At no time did I deny him the inspection. I didn’t ask him to leave. All I did was ask him for specific reasons for the inspection…I have a right to know who my accuser is.”
Andrea seems to have added an entirely new dimension to the agricultural inspection. Especially one with such an intriguing coincidence connecting it to NAIS.
Psst, Andrea – please post your form for us to use as a starting point.
Good for her to not let herself be bullied!
Thank you so much for writing this.
As for that Video … YOUTUBE!!
Website address:
http://www.esnips.com/doc/4d72ece5-8c3d-4455-b338-b71db2a95d04/Public-Servant-Questionnaire,-adapted-by-Bob-Hurt
Direct download link:
http://www.esnips.com/nsdoc/4d72ece5-8c3d-4455-b338-b71db2a95d04
Light is a great sanitizer, as Andrea is proving.
Be prepared for when he comes back. Beware! He will. With armed men.
The key is to be educated on this NAIS matter so you’ve got the ammo to combat the authorities.
An example would be in the construction industry.My husband once had county building inspector insist that his crew cut a hole in the flooring of a house remodel so he would not have to crawl in the crawl space under the house to do an inspection of which was his job. He implied ever increasingly nit picking and shuting down the job as he had been doing for months. If only my husband had video taped him. The inspector caused the job to extend to nearly a year instead of two months. There was never a justifiable cause for delay other than "He would get back to them on that subject, or "he needed to check the the regulations"
Please don’t cheapen real constitutional violations with NAIA propaganda. You don’t fool anyone for long with that irresponsible fear-mongering.
I urge everyone… DON’T let them do thier dirty work in the shadows!!! Make them step into the light of day. Sunlight is the great sanitizer & kills all sorts of nasty bugs!!!
I’m downloading that form & will be putting copies by the door!!!
The cameras took the rookie inspector by surprise the first time because he was inexperiennced and not used to it. He will expect it the second time and it will not phase him. The inspector will not care about the previous film because he did nothing wrong or illegal. The inspector will be operating by the book because he knows that this case may end up in court. The inspector has the full power of the system behind him. He will most likely get what he needs.
BTW Inspectors get paid by the hour. They don’t mind spending whatever time it takes to get what they need. They usually like overtime if they have reason to get it.