Capital Press 12/30/08

Amish farmer charged for not registering animals

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) - An Amish farmer who failed to register his livestock is being taken to court in Wisconsin for the first time.

The Country Today reports that 28-year-old Emanuel Miller Jr. of Loyal has been charged with a civil forfeiture for failure to comply with the state livestock premises registration law. He faces a fine of up to $5,000.

District Attorney Darwin Zwieg says Miller represents about 100 Amish farmers who believe registering their premises conflicts with their religion.

State agricultural officials discovered about 54 unregistered livestock farms while dealing with an outbreak of pseudorabies at a pig farm in March 2007. They believe at least 44 of those farms were Amish.

Assistant state veterinarian Paul McGraw has said the failure to register slowed the state's response to the outbreak.

The Associated Press