Amish farmer wins Wisconsin premises challenge

An Amish farmer has won his court case challenging Wisconsin’s livestock premises registration law. Clark County Circuit Judge Jon Counsell ruled the law violates Emanuel Miller Jr’s religious beliefs. The judge said the state failed to prove its need to protect food safety and animal health could not be achieved by adopting something less restrictive. Counsell cited several flaws in the state law noting it was impossible to keep the register current because farmers only have to sign up every three years and it does not require the farmer to have a telephone so in the case of an outbreak officials would still have to go door-to-door.

Clark County was the site of a pseudorabies outbreak in 2007 and state officials spent days going door-to-door looking for hogs in two quarantine areas.

Wisconsin Assistant State Veterinarian Paul McGraw expects his agency will appeal the ruling.

Thanks to Thom Gerretsen, Wheeler News Service.