By Charlie DeRose
After reading Barry Simpson's Opinion in The Valley Reporter regarding the anniversary of the seizure of two Vermont flocks of sheep by the USDA, I wrote to Senator Pat Leahy about it. Pat, years ago, was the attorney for Gallagher's Steak House. My wife and I worked there in the 1960s. I thought people might be interested in his response to the Opinion piece you carried. His response is below:
Dear Mr. DeRose:
Thank you for contacting me about the decision of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to remove the flocks of Belgian sheep from three Vermont farms 15 years ago.
Dr. Faillace, his wife Linda, and Houghton Freeman, the owners of those sheep, showed commendable vision in fostering a new industry in Vermont by importing a unique breed for dairy production and I was heartsick about what these families went through. However, I also believe that it was critical to take every responsible, preventative measure necessary to avoid compromising Vermont's dairy industry and to ensure the health of other ruminant animals in the state.
During that time, my office worked closely with both owners, at their request, and with the USDA to facilitate movement towards a resolution that not only protected public health but also was fair to the owners. My office assisted in arranging meetings with the USDA in Washington, D.C., and experts from Europe joined in these discussions. Fair and respectful treatment of the flocks' owners and confirmation of the science were my paramount concerns during those discussions.
A point that Barry Simpson’s opinion piece did not mention was that in July 2000, four of the sheep from these flocks were found by an independent laboratory to test positive for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSE, a group of serious disease forms, which in some forms may be transmitted to humans and other animals. Based on the information available to him, former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman issued a declaration of "extraordinary emergency" on July 14, 2000. In the public statement, USDA stated that their intent was to seize and euthanize the sheep in these flocks and compensate the owners for the fair market value of the animals.
Soon after USDA's declaration was filed, the owners brought their case before Federal District Court. On August 1, Chief Judge Garvan Murtha ruled on the motions for preliminary injunction. While my sympathies certainly lay with Dr. Faillace, his wife Linda, and Houghton Freeman, I believed then, and I still believe now, that safety is the bottom line where public health is concerned. The governor, the commissioner of agriculture, the commissioner of health for Vermont, and the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association supported the USDA action, which was designed to prevent the infection of cows, sheep or other ruminants owned by others in Vermont and elsewhere.
I believe that the resolution to the situation 15 years ago was in the best interest of preserving the superior image of Vermont products that producers have worked diligently to promote and enhance, as well as the image of the Vermont travel and tourism industries – all of which are vital to our state. Since the discovery of mad cow disease in Europe, millions of animals have been slaughtered and governments have spent billions of dollars compensating farmers for their losses. If mad cow, or any variant of the disease, were to gain a foothold in the United States, it would be devastating to thousands of farmers, including hundreds in Vermont and to our economy as a whole.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Patrick Leahy
United States Senator
Charlie DeRose lives in Warren.
