Farmers snubbed over dog microchips

Farmers snubbed over dog microchips

go farmers go!

The Government has snubbed farmers and their lobbyists by refusing to exempt farm dogs from rules that dogs first registered from July must be microchipped.

Prime Minister Helen Clark told a press conference yesterday that Cabinet would not be changing the law, which it authorised yesterday.

and when I raised THIS as a political issue during the elections, I was SNUBBED... Hey Mike (Yardley) where are you now on this issues?!?

The law would be what the Associate Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta, told parliament a couple of weeks ago, said Ms Clark: "One law for all dogs – it's very hard to make exceptions for some".

Sounds like the drug laws... but they get flicked off everyday! I guess there just isn't the corrupt moeny in microchips, hey?

Ms Mahuta said the success of a nationwide system for electronic dog identification relied on as many dogs as possible having a tiny microchip inserted under their skin.

If it weren't so damn expensive, I wouldn't mind so much. The thing cost $15 and vets will charge $40 and some up to $75 ... but they say, you'll get a FREE health check! Opdi doo! The last dog health check we got, the vet missed a growth which might have been cancerous! We went to another vet of course.. but who's to say the FREE health check, means THOROUGH??

But at the same time, Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton – who holds a more senior ranking in Cabinet – told farmers he was prepared to have it look at the issue again.

Ms Clark said yesterday he had honoured that commitment in cabinet.

Oh, that's soooo nice mr anderton... what a good minister... holding up his promise... what to get elected again?

"He honoured that to the letter," she said. "It was raised again and discussed but the Cabinet wasn't of the mind to attempt to amend legislation which is coming into effect in three months time."

Read the rest of the article for more interesting bits!
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Farmers plan action against microchipping
28 March 2006

Furious farmers are planning action against the Government's plan to micro-chip all dogs – including farm dogs.

Reacting to Helen Clark's statement yesterday that farms dogs would not be exempt from the new rules, Taranaki Federated Farmers president Bryan Hocken said the Prime Ministere would have "a battle ahead of her".

"She needs to watch this space," the Tarata, Inglewood, farmer said.

Oh, i love a good fight..

Mr Hocken said he would be telling other farmers not to comply with the law.
"We're not going to register our dogs. She hasn't got enough jails to put us in, she hasn't got enough police to take us all away and who is going to run the farms while we're put away?" he told the Taranaki Daily News

Ms Clark told a press conference yesterday that the law would mean "one law for all dogs. It's very hard to make exceptions for some".

National Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen said Miss Clark had blown a golden opportunity to reach out to rural communities".

"Saying `one law for all dogs' does not impress farmers," Mr Pedersen said. "It is as vacuous as saying `one tax for all New Zealanders' or `one sentence for all criminals'.

"It is a shame that the Government chooses to use spin rather than sound analysis."
Mr Hocken, who owns 12 farm dogs, said he would lead Taranaki farmers in a protest to Parliament with their dogs.

"There will be a protest," he promised. "We've got to win this case. If we need to go to Wellington, we'll go to Wellington."

Story here