Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm [Paperback]

Linda Faillace (Author), Ronnie Cummins (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2007

In the mid-1990s Linda and Larry Faillace had a dream: they wanted to breed sheep and make cheese on their Vermont farm. They did the research, worked hard, followed the rules, and, after years of preparation and patience, built a successful, entrepreneurial business.
But just like that, their dream turned into a nightmare. The U.S. Department of Agriculture told them that the sheep they imported from Europe (with the USDA's seal of approval) carried a disease similar to the dreaded BSE or "mad cow disease." After months of surveillance--which included USDA agents spying from nearby mountaintops and comically hiding behind bushes--armed federal agents seized their flock. The animals were destroyed, the Faillace's lives turned upside down, all so that the USDA could show the U.S. meat industries that they were protecting America from mad cow disease--and by extension, easing fears among an increasingly wary population of meat-eaters.
Mad Sheep is the account of one family's struggle against a bullying and corrupt government agency that long ago abandoned the family farmer to serve the needs of corporate agriculture and the industrialization of our food supply. Similar to the national best-selling book, A Civil Action, readers will cheer on this courageous family in its fight for justice in the face of politics as usual and the implacable bureaucracy of the farm industry in Washington, DC.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If this were a novel, you probably wouldn't believe it. But the story of a Vermont farming family driven out of business by a government agency is true--and truly frightening. When the Faillaces (author Linda and her husband, Larry) went into the sheep-farming business, they followed every USDA guideline. Then, once their operation was running, that same agency told them their sheep would have to be destroyed because they might spread "mad cow" disease. Despite the Faillaces' abundant proof that their sheep were disease free--and, moreover, posed no risk whatsoever--the USDA forcibly shut the farm down. The agency's actions ultimately had nothing to do with the health of the Faillaces' sheep but much to do with the health of the American beef industry, which could be adversely affected if people believed there was mad cow in the U.S. The author has every right to be bitter, but she maintains an even tone, presenting us with the evidence and letting us see what happened and why. But if you can read the book without getting mad, you're not reading it carefully. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"If this were a novel, you probably wouldn't believe it. But the story of a Vermont farming family driven out of business by a government agency is true--and truly frightening. When the Faillaces (author Linda and her husband, Larry) went into the sheep-farming business, they followed every USDA guideline. Then, once their operation was running, that same agency told them their sheep would have to be destroyed because they might spread "mad cow" disease. Despite the Faillaces' abundant proof that their sheep were disease free--and, moreover, posed no risk whatsoever--the USDA forcibly shut the farm down. The agency's actions ultimately had nothing to do with the health of the Faillaces' sheep but much to do with the health of the American beef industry, which could be adversely affected if people believed there was mad cow in the U.S. The author has every right to be bitter, but she maintains an even tone, presenting us with the evidence and letting us see what happened and why. But if you can read the book without getting mad, you're not reading it carefully." --David Pitt, Booklist review, September 2006

"If you think your government wouldn't really lurk in the bushes to spy on you and use its police power to bully you--get ready for a rude awakening. Mad Sheep sounds like a crime thriller Agatha Christie would dream up, but it's a real life nightmare lived by the Faillace family."--Jim Hightower

"Mad Sheep is one of those books that makes going to sleep at a decent hour unthinkable."--ACRES USA

"Mad Sheep will enrage you. The real crazies in this true and tragic tale are the bureaucratic bullies who tortured and tormented heroic Vermont farmers while allowing a deadly dementia--mad cow disease--to emerge in America. The sheep are dead, lives destroyed, mad cow disease here, and the worst is that these bunglers are still running the show."--John Stauber, co-author, Mad Cow U.S.A.

"[Mad Sheep] shows how far a corrupt government agency will go to protect industry. This is a truly Kafkaesque story."--Dr. Tom Pringle, founder, Sperling Foundation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (September 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933392762
• ISBN-13: 978-1933392769
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Faillace is a writer, shepherdess, songwriter, and owner of a country store dedicated to supporting local farmers and locally grown food. She has studied mad cow disease since the early 1990s. A champion of organic and sustainable farming, farmer's rights, and strong local communities, Linda lives with her husband, Larry, and their three children in East Warren, Vermont.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars USDA CORRUPTION, August 30, 2006

By 

Embarrassed by Bush - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm (Hardcover)

A PAGE-TURNER! I couldn't put it down until I'd read the last page. As other reviewers say, "Mad Sheep" will make your blood boil!

Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1787 that "a little rebellion, now and then (to keep the government from becoming tyrannical), is a good thing" and the story told in Mad Sheep demonstrates that that little rebellion is overdue.

To seduce the world into believing it's taking an extraordinarily vigilant approach to protecting the U.S. against BSE (mad cow disease), the USDA put on a well orchestrated, highly publicized show that victimized a small family-operated SHEEP dairy --that's right, SHEEP, not COW or CATTLE. At the same time, they quietly reduced the amount of testing of cattle for the disease to a tiny percentage of the cattle population. Undoubtedly, these politically motivated ostriches want to ensure that they do not discover or expose any evidence of BSE in cattle.

Challenged by the farmers, the startled USDA bunglers quickly manufactured laboratory data to support their claim that the Faillace sheep harbored "a TSE (the category of diseases that includes BSE) of foreign origin," one that is "suggestive of BSE." Since no sheep in the world has ever contracted BSE under natural conditions, this bizarre claim is one of the most unique in the halls of science, amounting to the discovery of not only a new and mysterious form of TSE but, as well, a disease transmission vector that would surely earn a Nobel prize. Their claim's tag line "of foreign origin" also suggests a level of knowledge about TSEs that simply does not exist.

These "minor" considerations, however, did not deter the USDA's ethically challenged BSE "experts" and watchdogs. Instead, they used their contrived data to mislead the media and public, and to intimidate scientifically naive politicians, federal court judges and, interestingly, the politically appointed head of the USDA. As a result, the Faillaces lost the support of their state's political leaders, each of their court cases and appeals and, ultimately, their sheep and livelihood. Their story is not unique; it's happened with far less publicity to many other small farmers. What is unique, is that they challenged and exposed the corrupt duplicity of a federal agency controlled by vested interests and is now running amok.

Read the book and, after you've calmed down, think about the meaning and intent of Jefferson's advice.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need to rein in government., September 5, 2006

By 

Walter Jeffries "Walter" (Montpelier, Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm (Hardcover)

In 2001 the USDA swooped down on two farmers in Vermont and killed all their sheep without proof of any disease in the animals. This is a scary foreshadowing of the USDA's plans for <a href="http://NoNAIS.org">NAIS</a> and <a href="http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05214.pdf">depopulation</a>. What happened to these people and their livestock is something I've thought about often. The government has no business doing what they did. There was no emergancy. There was no need to rush. It was not a wildfire. In the end, the hundreds of sheep the USDA killed turned out to not be diseased after all. Our government simply over reacted and in the process they not only killed innocent, healthy livestock but they violated the Constitutional rights of citizens and destroyed the dreams of farmers. And our government officials wonder why we don't trust them???

The government should not have these sorts of unlimited powers that allow them to reach into our homes and lives. It is time to rein the mad dogs of government in and muzzle them.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Anyone Interested in How the USDA Does (not) Protect our Food System, August 30, 2006

By 

N. Baron "Out of Time" (Warren, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm (Hardcover)

This true story of a family's struggle to keep their sheep alive in the face of unjust persecution by the USDA will leave you simultaneously hopeful in human nature and dissillusioned with the US goverment. The Faillaces spent many years planning for their dream of establishing a family sheep farm and cheese making establishment in the hills of Vermont. After considerable money, effort and rigourously following the USDA guidelines for importing sheep from Belgium, they were notified that their sheep were suspected of having a form of Mad Cow disease. The goverment wanted to seize and kill their sheep. The only problem is that no sheep has ever had Mad Cow disease, even the Faillace's. What follows is a heroic attempt by the Faillace's to fight the US government and keep their sheep and family business alive. I found this story totally engrossing and enlightening. Anyone interested how our government treats small small family farms compared to big agribusiness needs to read this book.