Here is an interesting article floating around the web. It seems that the Indiana Amish farmers, along with others, are being forced to participate in the State of Indiana's RFID microchip program for their livestock. This is a national program, occurring throughout the United States, but recently it was pressed on the Indiana Amish farmers.
The federal government and the USDA have complained for some time about the difficulties in monitoring and tracking farm animals. This has come to the forefront with the two cases of mad cow disease, originating in Canada. Just one case of mad cow put the American grown beef industry in serious straits, with Japan and other countries banning beef grown in the USA.
These two cases were months apart, which is suspicious by itself, and for the skeptical types, has the whiff of deliberate but controllable infection. There are those, including the Amish, that believe there is a '1984' style plan to chip every human being in America. The Amish are quoted in several places that they believe that these RFID chips are the 'mark of the beast' spoken of in the biblical book of revelation.
Certainly, after the experience with England, and the patients who died from mad cow disease, we can be fairly alarmed and interested in controlling this disease. The question must be, is chipping the Amish farmers' animals, and all livestock in the country, a helpful way to control mad cow or other possible diseases?
Those are a couple of the questions for us. For the Amish, however, the position is different. Since their religious beliefs make it impossible for them to cooperate with the federal government's chipping program, what will happen to them?
It is reported that the Board of Animal Health is authorized to fine non-cooperating farmers $1,000 per day. During a time of economic down turn and low farm prices, this represents a grave financial hardship for these small Amish farmers. If they are also required to pay for the chipping and the monitoring, this will increase their costs without improving farm revenue.
Do you think the Amish should allow their animals to be chipped or should they be forced? Do you think the chips will help to prevent disease? There are a lot of interesting questions about this new topic affecting the Amish community.
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