SSHilltopHens
In the Brooder
Hey yall!
I plan to start selling chicks/fertile eggs in the Spring, so I decided to get NPIP certified in order to appeal to a wider market and have the ability to ship hatching eggs. Someone actually came out to test my flock today, both tests came back negative, I paid the $75 fee and I was told that I'm good to go and would get my certificate in the mail.
A little while after he left, I just so happened to stumble across a Facebook thread asking about NPIP certified breeders, and one comment stood out to me in particular. I'll paste it below:
I am interested in knowing how much truth there is to some of the statements made in the above comment, particularly the following:
I plan to start selling chicks/fertile eggs in the Spring, so I decided to get NPIP certified in order to appeal to a wider market and have the ability to ship hatching eggs. Someone actually came out to test my flock today, both tests came back negative, I paid the $75 fee and I was told that I'm good to go and would get my certificate in the mail.
A little while after he left, I just so happened to stumble across a Facebook thread asking about NPIP certified breeders, and one comment stood out to me in particular. I'll paste it below:
I went to a USDA Ag trade school in my younger days and it's my opinion that these assorted agencies are not our friends, nor do they operate in the best interests of farmers or breeders. When you become NPIP, you are giving them a carte blanche license to come on your property at any time and for ANY reason, essentially waiving your 4th and 5th Amendment rights. (Pacific Legal Foundation is currently fighting a case on this very subject for licensed falconers against USFW-DOI. So far, that case is not going well as the judges rightly point out that licensed falconers have waived their rights to the agency). That waived right goes so far as the agency coming onto your property for the purpose of destroying your flock during any disease outbreak nearby. Beyond that, being NPIP strips out the personal choice of individual breeders. As a case in point, if Breeder A is NPIP and desires to buy a stock bird from Breeder B who is non-NPIP, Breeder A is barred from obtaining said stock bird as he/she may only introduce birds from other NPIP sources. I know NPIP breeders who are not working with certain rare breeds simply because the only sources for stock are in the hands of non-NPIP breeders and those breeds are ultimately suffering because of it. At day's end, I make all the decisions pertaining to my breeding operation and know far better what's best for it than some pencil pusher in an agency does. When NPIP was first established, it was a really well intended program, but at this point, it should be dismantled.
I am interested in knowing how much truth there is to some of the statements made in the above comment, particularly the following:
When you become NPIP, you are giving them a carte blanche license to come on your property at any time and for ANY reason, essentially waiving your 4th and 5th Amendment rights.
As far as I was aware, you're expected to have someone come out to your property to test your birds 6 months after your initial certification test and then once every year when you re-certify. Under what grounds would they be allowed to come onto your property outside of that?
That waived right goes so far as the agency coming onto your property for the purpose of destroying your flock during any disease outbreak nearby.
Is this true? Could I potentially lose my entire flock by participating in the program because of an outbreak at another farm? If so, would I be compensated for the loss of my birds or expected to start from scratch at my own expense?
if Breeder A is NPIP and desires to buy a stock bird from Breeder B who is non-NPIP, Breeder A is barred from obtaining said stock bird as he/she may only introduce birds from other NPIP sources.
Of all of the points raised, this seems like the most reasonable expectation, as I understand that you are expected to maintain additional biosecurity measures while participating in the program. That being said, I'm curious as to how something like this can be enforced. If I purchased chicks from a source that was not NPIP certified, I would imagine the only situation in which they would actually find out is if those birds were to test positive for PT/AI? If every bird that I bring into my flock tests clean, how would they know that they're from non-NPIP sources?
Reading this comment has left me feeling as if I did not do my due diligence in researching the program and that I could be causing myself more harm than good by participating. My market is in rare/uncommon chicken breeds, so only being able to purchase from NPIP certified breeders would severely limit my ability to bring in new stock. Furthermore, the possibility of losing my entire flock due to a nearby disease outbreak, as slim as it may be, is absolutely frightening to me. Could someone who is a little more knowledgeable on the program chime in and let me know if I have any reason to be concerned?
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