Revealing Animal Health Act Regulations

[Kathy]

AHA - Traceability Premises Identification Regulation
link:
http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/orders/orders_in_council/2008/1208/2008_563.html

AHA - Traceability Livestock Identification Regulation
link:
http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/orders/orders_in_council/2008/1208/2008_562.html

Website for finding these Acts and regulations when passed via "Orders in Council" by the Alberta Lt. General:
http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/display_orders.cfm

I read in the Western Producers, that there will be nine (9) sets of regulations under the new Alberta Animal Health ACT.

Any and all of these regulations can be changed by another Order in Council, at any time.
(even though these regs state they will not be reviewed until January 31, 2014).

It has been the custom for the last 10 years, for the AB government to "review" all Acts and Regs every 5 years; however, if you take a regular look at the Queen's Printer's link, you will see that many of these Acts/Regs are "adjusted" on a regular basis.

Orders in Council are granted by the Lt. Governor as a representative in the province for the Governor General - aka the Queen's representative.

[Kathy]

Add to the list of new regulations:

"Reportable and Notifiable Diseases Regulation"
(not given into power yet by the Lt. Gov., but listed along with the Animal Health Act).

Oddly enough, the first two regulations were not found under the Animal Health Act page at the Queen's printers. They should be listed there along with this one - as all are under the Animal Health Act.

It looks like our Provincial Government has passed regulations to an act, to come in force on January 1, 2009 - before they have given final proclamation for the ACT they come under.

[Kathy]

Section 2 (5) of the "Traceability Premises Identification Regulation" reads:

Premises Identification:

"Sec 2(5) No owner of a recordable animal shall breed, keep, raise, display, assemble or dispose of the recordable animal unless that owner has a premises identification account."

Mr. Groenveld - PLEASE RESIGN NOW.
and that goes for the rest of our Ministers and Premier! You make me sick!

"recordable animal" is
section 1(h)(i-xxviii) and includes besides cattle, horses, bees, yaks and all the rest of the animals with which a land owner could feed themselves, and or make a living from selling.

Next??: all lands used to raise food (not just meat) shall be registered with premise identification accounts/numbers; you never know what lands might be contaminated.

[grassfarmer]

I'd like to go on record as stating I have absolutely no problem with having a Premise ID - indeed I consider it a very minimal regulatory step in the modern world we live in.
You make it sound like we are the only people in society that are subject to any formal regulation. Just look at the rules and regulations that govern any other "industry" like the oil patch, mining, transportation and you would realise that we are in no way over regulated in agriculture. I think this is absolutely nothing to get excited about.

[Kathy]

grassfarmer, you have no idea what's going to happen to the primary producer community - under this type of a "regulation".

We are sustainable agriculture that is not "intensive", and is not "industry".

Our farms and ranches are the foundation of a country that is based upon the principals of being able to use the land to earn a living and feed our families.

Under the letter of this law, we cannot even own ONE of these recordable animals (28 listed) without bowing down at the feet of the Minister of Agriculture for permission (aka premise ID).

Landowners, not just ranchers, should be asking for Groenveld's immediate resignation. IF you do not have some form of control over your land and business then what's the point owning it.

Premise ID is mandatory - therefore it is a hinderence upon my operations that should not be there. Combined with Bill C51 - which will prevent us from growing herbs and vegetation capable of keeping us alive and healing our ills, we will not be allowed to feed our country or immediate community without first going through the bureaucrats.

If you can't get this simple fact that this is NOT about animal health, but about controlling our ability to earn an income off our land - you need glasses.

The rules and hoops for "Premise ID" are just starting.... before long, we'll have a list of "requirements" so long, only those with outside income will be able to stay in this business.

[grassfarmer]

Registering a Premis ID took me less than 5 minutes. It does not in any way reduce my control over my land or business and is not a hinderence to my operation.
Do you drive your vehicles around without a license plate because the Government is trying to control you by keeping a record of the vehicle number?
Seems like Western paranoia to me.

[wilagro]

I might disagree with Kathy on some things, but on this "premises ID", I agree.

If I go to our local auction mart and buy a critter to feed for the summer, why in h*ll should I have to have a premises ID?

If I want to participate in any government support scheme, I suppose it might be necessary to have a premises number (for record keeping), but why for purchase of animals that might be butchered on the farm?

Next thing you know, we will have to have a tattoo on our arm before we do any business regarding animals. Achtung!!!

[Kathy]

I drive my vehicles on public roads. I raise my cattle on my land within my fences.

This is a major hinderence because it is going to make it unlawful to keep animals (for meat) on your farm without complying with government protocol. The fact that right now, there are limited "requirements" for registering or applying for the number is a mute point. These are regulations, and it has already been stated within the governments' own documents that this "process" will be changing over time. What happens when the government demands that you must use certain types of this or that on your farm? When you don't comply with their agenda, they will be able to put a "stop and decease" order on your account and your business will be Frozen.

CCIA representatives publically stated that the premise ID is for "shutting your operations down quickly". Telling them your capacity, is so "the CFIA knows how big a pit to dig".

When you read the Animal Health ACT it states that when a premise license is pulled, there is NO compensation for the closure of the premises.

The legal dictionary states that a "license" is granting permission to do something which would otherwise be illegal, including "registrations". As this Premise ID regulation states: Sec. 2(5) it is unlawful to keep "recordable animals" without a premise ID account.

Your future on your land is now under the dictate and whim of government puppets and the OIE, WHO and other international agencies that are setting policy and agendas for "global trade".

We took on the OIE's rules for BSE, and now, just as in Australia, UK and the USA, we have exactly the same wording in our "Animal Health" legislation which restricts our ability to own any of the 28 listed animals.

This process is NOT about animal health or food safety.

[grassfarmer]

"I drive my vehicles on public roads. I raise my cattle on my land within my fences."
Presumably you run a business, selling cattle off your property and you file taxes with the Government, pay county land taxes etc? If you do then you are subject to the laws of the land which are set by the Government of the day.

If on the other hand you were a self sufficient smallholder growing and harvesting only enough food to feed yourself and your family from your acres I think there is a case for your livestock being exempted from these rules. Unless you fit this category you are running a business just like the shop keeper in town and can expect the laws of the land to apply to your business.

[Kathy]

grassfarmer, there are NO EXEMPTIONS from this regulation.

According to this reg, no one can raise any of these 28 animals on their property without bowing down to the government first.

Why did you sign up for a premise ID account and number?

Because big brother paid you too, or because big brother passed an illegal law forcing you to, or because you really don't care about property rights and the ability of the individual to feed themselves, and their neighbors? By commenting that someone who wishes to be self-sufficient should be exempt, then it shows you do care about the individual right to raise animals for food. So why do you support ALMS when it clearly is denying individuals this right?

Get with it, there are no exemptions from this in the regulation, which is an illegal regulation - because it IS restricting my "security of person" and "liberty", and the ACT does not state anything about denying the landowner and animal producer the right to raise these animals, it only states the minister "may require" producers to obtain a premise ID number. There is nothing granting him powers to stop us from raising animals, without one, in the ACT. The regulation is illegal; however, it is the true intent of this government, the governments of AU, UK (EU), USA and many more around this planet - to reign all food producers under a system designed by the OIE and other UN/WHO mandates. The winners are the Monsantos, Cargills, Tysons, Mercks, Pfizers et al...

FOOD FREEDOM, not more restrictions. The customer does not want this, the producers (for the most part) don't want this, but our governments are forcing it upon us anyways. At least the Americans have the fortitude to fight it.

[coppertop]

There are some pieces of provincial legislation that may be amended by Ministerial Order which does not involve opening up the Legislation.
It is important that the Government review all legislation on an ongoing basis, EG: The Municipal Government Act, The Agricultural Service Boards Act. The Agricultural Operations Practices Act has been amended several times since coming into effect January 1/02, mainly due to pressure from the livestock industry.

I do agree with Grassfarmer, premises ID won't change the way we do business, it merely indicates where our livestock operations are carried out.
Feedlots and other confined feeding operations have been required to provide location of their operations under AOPA for several years, so this is nothing new, with the exception of the fact it applies to all of us.

[wilagro]

coppertop: Give government an inch and they will take a yard (or the metric equivalent), I don't trust them.

Once they have compliance with their regulations we will not be farming or ranching, but merely dancing to their tune no matter what USED to be. Filling out more forms and punching in more codes will be routine for EVERYTHING connected with cattle raisng AND the raising of the two dozen OTHER animals that are covered by the regulations. Buy some bunnies for the kids and cough up your ID, sell your neighbour a calf, another form to submit in triplicate. Its all BS and we are about to ACCEPT it without a whimper.

[coppertop]

i am not saying I agree with all the regulations, but the agricultural industry isn't the only one that is regulated. My main concern is whether those who are monitoring the conditions we must adhere to have any knowledge of our industry !

[Kathy]

The government cannot, through regulation, restrict our activities. The Premise ID reg. is a restriction on our activities and I am shocked that ranchers will willfully go along with this suppression.

Do you own your land? Why? Does common law and history of this country mean anything?

We, as primary producers, do not farm in an "intensive" manner which is contrary to the 'zoning' of our land.

In essence, the government just rezoned all the agriculture land (used to raise mat) in Alberta to "intensive" agriculture

[grassfarmer]

"The government cannot, through regulation, restrict our activities" - Er, yes they can,that is one of the powers Governments have. And lets face it no-one in the ranching community can complain too much because I'm guessing 90% of them voted for the current PC Government. You get what you wish for.