Post by Alysha on Mar 24, 2012 17:28:46 GMT -5
I certainly don't want to cause a ruckus or sound snarky BUT I live in a county where a boar hunting facility was shut down a few years ago because of PSEUDO RABIES. This is an airborn illness and there were several 4H families who pigs were quarintined and the entire county had to have there hogs tested for severeal weeks before moving them. This included our farm which was ok but straight east of this farm. What happened next was each 4H kid had to have all their pigs tested 3 weeks before the fair and pay for the test. The vet that HAD to administer the test did all the farm calls for free but each kid paid for the test. Then our county fair was encouraged to have a terminal show which means all pigs leaving the fair are for slaughter only. So the really nice gilt that my son paid ALOT of his own money was going to be slaughtered all because someone thougth it was a great idea to import sick animals and then let them loose. What the DNR is really targeting ( talked to a conservation officer myself who doesn't always agree with the DNR and raised heritage hogs) is those people who pasture pigs in an unfenced area, basically letting them run loose. This would include russian razor backs. They are a variety of wild boar who is know to carry many diseases. The small family farm runs a greater risk by throwing a hissy fit about more government control. For any of you that remember the bovine TB outbreak that caused the DNR to require all bovine tested and tagged was also for the greater good of the small farm. There were many herd that were from the upper, lower part of Michigan that were so infested that some herds were put down. Horrible yes but the otherside of the coin is this. Our entire state could still be under quarintine and we would have lost our ability to ship cattle to the major packers. Michigan now has no major packers so most cattle and hogs are hauled out of state. We as the small family farms with just a few head of cattle and a small amout of hogs are the minority. The farm with 20 or 30 sows that are farrow to finish is who this is really there to protect. Just like the TB the govt is looking at the whole picture and not a very small minorty. Oh one last thing most of the heritage hogs around here would be considered, chester white, large white, large spot, poland, berkshires, and several others that were once well know but lost popularity when the large hog facilities took over. Now I am only gving information here and not looking to argue with anyone about who is right or wrong and that the govenment controls too much or too little I am only pointing out some personal experience and knowledge. thx,