In response to recent rumblings we’ve heard, Mark says with Mark Twain:
“The reports of my (compliance) are greatly exaggerated.”
The DNR has decided Mark is now “in compliance.” They base that opinion off a statement and one picture. Once again, the details and facts are unimportant to them. In claiming that Mark is “in compliance,” they have never looked at our herd and have no real knowledge of their lineage. In all it’s vagaries, we are still unclear whether or not we are in compliance with the law. This is the question we had when this started and we continue to have. We did, in fact, cull our Russian/Eurasian Boar looking sow and her daughters last December. However, we maintain our suit because the DNR has continued to deny us due process by refusing to define terms such as “hybrid,” “domestic hog production,” and “feral” so that we can determine if our remaining pigs are legal or not. They continue to insist that how a pig looks determines its living arrangement. Such cavalier and ill-informed judgement of “felon” or “not felon” (as a breaker of the Invasive Species Order would be) begs explanation and, again, would seem to deny Michigan’s citizens of due process.
We hope this helps you understand why they are making their claim and why we feel we can not drop our suit for clarification. There is a recent blog on our website in which we addressed this issue. Mark also has a video out talking about the recent developments.