Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm

By Linda Faillace

Summarized with permission of Chelsea Green. All rights reserved.

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In December of 1996, scientists speculated there was a possible link between Mad Cow disease (BSE) and a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). As a result, the USDA closed the doors on the importation of live animals from Europe in 1997. In July of 1998, Dr. Linda Detwiler from the USDA called a meeting to inform the Faillaces that the USDA was concerned that their sheep may have come in contact with contaminated feed in Europe and possibly be susceptible to BSE. The USDA wanted them to surrender their animals. The Faillaces refused to surrender their animals because no sheep in the world has ever had BSE, and their animals were lambs when they were imported, and they were born after the Europeans banned meat and bone meal -- two full years prior to the U.S. ban. They agreed not to sell any sheep to allow the USDA time to gather more information at an upcoming meeting of the SEAC (Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee) in Europe.

The BSE risk assessment was discussed at a SEAC meeting, attended by Dr. Detwiler, on Sept. 30, 1998. Nothing in the risk assessment for any country referred to dangers from sheep, and in their written public statement, the SEAC reiterated that no sheep had ever naturally contracted BSE. The committee members were concerned that sheep -- which were given meat and bone meal -- were at risk, but the Committee agreed that there was no need to recommend further action to protect public or animal health. The next meeting with Dr. Detwiler and the Faillaces was held at the Vermont Department of Agriculture on Oct. 8, 1998, where the results of the SEAC meeting were discussed. Although the results were favorable to the Faillaces' situation, Dr. Detwiler wanted to seize all the imported sheep upon the basis that scientists were still concerned and on other information she could not divulge. The USDA said they would pay full market value for all sheep and progeny. The Faillaces and Freemans maintained that they were not going to sell because there was nothing wrong with the sheep, and there was no new information out of Europe. Dr. Detwiler told them that it was out of her hands; the USDA was under political pressure to buy the sheep and slaughter them.

The Vermont Department of Agriculture issued formal quarantines on the Faillace and Freeman farms the following week. When Wayne Zeilenga, USDA veterinarian for Vermont handed the Faillaces their quarantine papers he said, "I don't mean this as a threat, but if you tell anyone about this, you get greedy and ask for a bunch of money, or you go to the media, we will put you out of business and don't think we haven't done it before."

 

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