(Steve Pope) wrote in
:

> Emma Thackery > wrote:
>>
>>I'm not sure if the outrageous USDA actions against the
>>Fallace family sheep farm have been discussed here but The
>>Restaurant Guys (on New Jersey radio) did a fascinating
>>segment with Linda Fallace the other day. You can access
>>the free podcast on iTunes: The Restaurant Guys: 2/19/07
>>OR you can get the MP3 file on their website at:
>>
>><http://www.restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/>
>>
>>The segment is about 1/3 of the way into the podcast. I
>>had heard about this malicious prosecution before but was
>>unaware that the USDA threatened to ruin these people if
>>they told anyone that USDA had killed all their sheep.
>>It's an incredible story.
>
> Any link to an article on this topic that is in text rather
> than voice? I de-rate any reporting that's merely spoken.
> It almost always implies there's been no opportunity for
> fact-checking.

there are lots of written articles if you google, however
most will be hits on her book.
here's a CNN archive:
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/03/2...eep.01/index.h
tml

my take on the matter, as a small stock raiser, is that the
Faillaces screwed themselves. they rejected a $2.5 million
compensation settlement from the USDA to take the sheep.
yeah, it was *highly* unlikely the sheep had BSE, but they
*were* imported from areas of Europe where there were BSE
outbreaks & the spongiform/prion diseases can take 5-7 years
to show symptoms. the intelligent thing to do would have been
to take the hugely generous compensation package, let the USDA
take the damn sheep & then start over.
i mean, seriously, you can buy a LOT of sheep for $2.5mil,
more than 125.
if they were so all fired set to have a sheep dairy, why have
they spent the past 6 years wallowing in self-pity? why not
pick up the bootstraps, get more sheep & get going?
i suspect the answer lies in media attention...
that said, i think the USDA needs a serious overhaul. the
department is run by the good ol' boys who raise the big bucks
livestock & that is wrong. nothing like having the fox
guarding the henhouse, as it were.
lee <why no, i don't like sheep>
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson