by Theresa Sinclair

A talk with Linda Faillace, author of "Mad Sheep"
Review and interview by Theresa Sinclair

 

"When the government fears the people, you have liberty.
When the people fear the government, you have tyranny."
                                                 —Thomas Jefferson

With all the talk these days about the safety of our food supply it can be easy to get the impression that government agencies are looking out for our best interests. Be warned however, the accuracy of that impression may be rattled after reading "Mad Sheep, The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm" by shepherdess and local foods activist Linda Faillace.

After just a few pages of the introduction by Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association readers will find themselves shocked and disgusted by the corruption of the departments that we as citizens count on to protect our families from food borne illnesses. What seems perhaps most unnerving about this tale is that it all happened here in the peacefully pastoral sanctuary of Vermont.

The story begins with the Faillace family's dreams of opening their own dairy sheep farm and artisan cheese production in the Mad River Valley. After years of planning and research they decided on two European breeds as a good option for their business, the East Friesian for milk and the Beltex for meat, and began the process of importing their carefully selected flock from Belgium and New Zealand. After a lengthy quarantine process the sheep were certified healthy by the USDA and allowed to enter the country. Linda and her husband Larry were ecstatic to begin living the life they had always hoped for.

The sheep were settling in well at their new home, lambs were born, and their children were excitedly practicing their shepherding and cheese making skills.  Their joy was shattered almost as soon as it began, however, when they found out that their flock was suspected of having a new strain of mad cow disease.

During the late nineties the American beef and pharmaceutical industries were in the middle of a crisis. Mad cow disease, technically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE, was all over the news and corporations feared that the bad publicity could jeopardize their profits. After a little political pressure the USDA backed them up by finding the perfect scapegoat to the problem, a few scattered sheep flocks high in the hills of Vermont.

Despite the fact that sheep have never become infected by the disease naturally, the USDA went forward with a devious plan to seize and destroy the Faillace family's flock to save big business. With determination the Faillaces began their doomed fight against the USDA to save their sheep, facing ruthless court battles. Their sense of privacy was destroyed as government agents staked out their farm and tapped their phones. "When a scientific issue is treated in a political way, it is bad for everyone. When hysteria prevails over clear thinking, it is even worse," said Larry Faillace in a speech at the State House before the Vermont Agricultural Committee. Supporters from across the world rallied in support for the Faillace's plight but it was to no avail. In the early hours of dawn on March 23, 2001, 27 armed federal agents came to seize the flock. Five days later the sheep were slaughtered. Every sheep in the flock tested negative for the disease in three separate tests except for two results from a lab that was later shut down for gross negligence.

Linda Detwiler, the USDA official behind the attack on the Faillace's farm quickly resigned and accepted a consulting position with McDonald's and Wendy's. These are the people who are supposed to protect our food and our farms.

"We have explored every possible angle for going after USDA in the court system," said Faillace. "On the positive side, we were able to get a hearing when USDA attorneys argued that farmers had no right to be heard before the court. We also were able to uncover literally hundreds of hidden documents that proved our sheep were healthy and demonstrated USDA corruption.  The appeals court agreed with our assertion that these documents pointed to USDA fraud and demanded the case back to district court.

"On the negative side, the USDA was able to thwart our judicial appeal by stealing the sheep seventeen days before our appeals hearing. When the federal judge was presented with all of this damning evidence as well as a letter from the USDA saying that the USDA did not have authorization to put us under quarantine, he unbelievably ruled in USDA's favor this February."

The battle was lost but the war goes on for the Faillaces as they strive to expose the corruption of the USDA and receive compensation for the destruction of their family business.  "We are currently involved in litigation against the USDA in the US Claims Court," said Faillace. "At a meeting with the USDA after the sheep were taken, our lawyer, Davis Buckley asked why we were being treated differently than other farmers that had voluntarily given up their sheep.  USDA officials answered 'You chose to fight.'"

Now that the turmoil of the past few years has begun to settle down slightly the Faillaces are beginning to regain some normalcy in their lives. Three Shepherds Cheese, their line of fine specialty cheeses, continues to sell well at the Schoolhouse Market in Warren and their cheese making courses have resumed.

"The USDA lifted the quarantine on the farm on March 23rd of this year," Faillace said. "When we are financially in a position to do so, we plan on continuing our dream of creating a diversified organic farm operation that includes a flock of sheep and would love to import exceptional or rare breeds of sheep as part of that plan."

Even though the USDA has cooled the assault on their farm the Faillaces are still alert.  "Anyone getting into the food business must keep their eyes wide open.  Don't be complacent or think the government can't target you.  Protect yourself.  The government's actions have helped create an underground food movement," said Faillace.

"We have the utmost respect and encouragement for anyone who wants to pursue growing food.  It is one of the most important jobs there is.  While our experiences must be viewed as cautionary, I believe there is currently more support for the growers of local food than there has been in a long time."

For more information on "Mad Sheep" and Three Shepherds Cheese visit www.chelseagreen.com and www.rootswork.org.