No Mandatory Animal ID

Hacker enters Agriculture dept. computers

A hacker broke into the Agriculture Department's computer system and may have obtained names, Social Security numbers and photos of 26,000 Washington-area employees and contractors, the department said Wednesday.

These are the same people that assure us that the data they are going to be collecting for NAIS is secure and that we should trust them. Another good reason to oppose NAIS.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Personal at 04:20 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

MEAT INDUSTRY: Vet calls animal ID proposals overkill

The North Dakota Board of Animal Health veterinarian is developing a proposal for a "hybrid" animal trace-back system that relies more on existing systems - cattle branding and paper trails on livestock transactions - and not switching immediately to expensive individual electronic tracking for all animals.

The federal government is in the process of implementing a National Animal Identification System. The system is voluntary but could become mandatory. It would be based on a national registration of farms and feedlots, coupled with electronic tags for each animal.

What a novel concept, use the existing brand system instead of the complicated NAIS for animal trackback.

"We have a system that actually works quite well because it is associated with title and real dollars," he says.

Wow, a system that actually works. The only problem? Some Government bureaucrat might have to get off his fat ass and look at the records instead of just calling it up on a computer. [sarcasm]Them government employees are so abused, aren't they. Expect them to do some work, poor babies.[/sarcasm]

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but government employees sure want it to make their life easier at tremendous cost to producers.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Action Efforts at 04:14 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Stop the National Animal ID System

The House of Representatives recently passed funding for a new federal mandate that threatens to put thousands of small farmers and ranchers out of business. The National Animal Identification System, known as NAIS, is an expensive and unnecessary federal program that requires owners of livestock-- cattle, dairy, poultry, and even horses-- to tag animals with electronic tracking devices. The intrusive monitoring system amounts to nothing more than a tax on livestock owners, allowing the federal government access to detailed information about their private property.

In typical Washington-speak, NAIS is "voluntary"--provided USDA bureaucrats are satisfied with the level of cooperation. Trust me, NAIS will be mandatory within a few years. When was the last time a new federal program did not expand once implemented?

Read the whole thing, Rep Ron Paul leaves a powerful impression.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Opinion Piece at 04:06 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)