USDA HANDBOOK addresses Farmers as Uneducated
ARAPA Statement to the Senate Ag Committee
2006 ARKANSAS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH USDA
2007 ARKANSAS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH USDA
ARKANSAS ANIMAL PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION
Organic & Grassfed Growers Also Affected
DATABASES - How Safe Are They?
CAPTIVE ANIMAL FACTORY FARMING
Ag Lawyer Responds to the NAIS
HORSE TIMELINE FOR NAIS INCLUSION
"CREATIVE" SIGN-UPS BY THE GOVERNMENT
Animal ID Problems in Other Countries
Retired Army Colonel Rebuts NAIS
Equine Species Working Group Contacts
INFO ON USDA'S NEW "USER'S GUIDE"
SCRAPIE ID for Goats/Sheep & the NAIS
Leon's Story - Chipped Dog Died From Cancer
Protection From Terrorist Livestock
Truth about FOOD CONTAMINATION
TRUTH about Foot & Mouth Vaccines
MICROCHIP PROBLEMS IN DUTCH HORSES
2005 ARKANSAS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH USDA/APHIS
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"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from his government." --Thomas Paine
USDA Releases New Technical Document But not the promised Business Plan This summer, the US House of Representatives stated that the USDA had to prepare and release a detailed plan to implement NAIS in order to receive new funding for the program. USDA announced back in August that a "Business Plan" would be released shortly. While it's true that the USDA released something yesterday, December 5, in the Federal Register, it is far from a Business Plan. We do not want to see USDA develop plans for implementing NAIS, because the whole program should be stopped. But we know that they have done so behind closed doors. USDA's delay in making its plan public confirms its disdain for our legislative process and the people Congress represents. TAKE ACTION: Comment on NAIS. In yesterday's announcement, USDA stated that it seeks comments on the Revised Program Standards and Technical Reference documents or other aspects of NAIS. So you can comment on the new document and all of the many other problems with NAIS. The Notice did not include a deadline for comments. Send your comments to: animalidcomments@aphis.usda.gov, or by mail to NAIS Program Staff, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737. Be sure to send a copy of your comments to your Representative and Senators. You can find their contact information at www.congress.org. It is critical that Congress knows that people are notifying USDA of their objections to NAIS and that your Congressmen understand your objections! More Information - The Documents You can find the USDA's Federal Register Notice at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-23524.htm. The Notice refers to an updated set of of Program Standards and Technical Reference, originally published with the 2005 NAIS documents. USDA did not provide a link to the updated documents, so you find updates only by searching their website. Go to the NAIS Library Link: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/index.shtml. Then choose: Guidelines & References > Program Standards and Technical Reference The closest thing USDA has to a Business Plan is its publication "Advancing Animal Disease Traceability" which contains USDA's proposed 7 strategies to implementing NAIS. You can find this document, published October 2007, by going to the NAIS Library Link: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/index.shtml. Then choose Plans and Reports > Advancing Animal Disease Traceability Overview and Synopsis. What do these documents tell us? USDA continues to ignore the rising protests over NAIS, and is working hard to develop the technology and infrastructure for NAIS. USDA continues to hide whatever its plans are, by dribbling out partial announcements. USDA will continue to fund private organizations and states to implement NAIS (See Advancing Animal Disease Traceability Overview and Synopsis) USDA plans a complete, unified database for all animals. Stay tuned for more analysis of the USDA's latest document and the Business Plan, whenever the USDA finally releases it! We will also post the documents on our website soon, as well as provide sample letters to help you structure your comments. ************************************************* On November 16, Senators failed to pass a motion to end debate and bring the Farm Bill to a vote. Congress has now recessed for two weeks for Thanksgiving vacation, and the future of the Farm Bill is very unclear. Hundreds of pages of amendments have been filed, and there is no NAIS-related amendment, as best we can tell. But some Senators filed amendments without text, essentially "placeholders" to allow them to file the actual amendment later. So it's still possible that an amendment could be inserted when the Senate comes back, whether it is to strip Section 10305 as we have requested, or something that would be worse for us. And regardless of what happens when the Farm Bill is finally voted on, there will still be a conference committee on the bill. Please stay tuned for updates, and be prepared to take action as the Senate fight continues! As always, if you have any questions, contact us at libertymtn2@yahoo.com. TAKE ACTION: Call our Arkansas Senators Lincoln and Pryor. Ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues, not just the front desk! MESSAGE: I do not want the NAIS included in the Farm Bill or any other bill. I want funding for the NAIS to be stopped. Additional talking points are at the end of this alert. Pick the issues that matter most to you, and explain why NAIS will hurt you and your community. KEY CONTACTS: Your Senators: Go to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 877-851-6437 TALKING POINTS * Please take out any provision for NAIS in the Farm Bill. Also remove section 10305 from the bill. * NAIS will hurt our economy: • There still is no cost-benefit analysis of NAIS. USDA has only recently requested one from Kansas State University. The study is unlikely to be a thorough or unbiased study, given that Kansas State has just established a federally-funded Animal Identification Center. • Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor • Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs • Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business. • Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, adding to inflation * The USDA has provided no scientific proof show that NAIS will improve disease control: • It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals. • It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease. * NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program * NAIS will not improve food safety: • USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program • Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point. * NAIS will not protect against terrorism: • The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this. • The database of information, created by the state agency and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers. * NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom. Porky the Potbelly Pig says, "I'm just a backyard pet - why do I have to be in the NAIS?"
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