No Mandatory Animal ID

I have a question as usual. What is the stated purpose behind the NAIS program being pushed by the USDA? You've got it, to protect our food supply.

According to those pushing it, NAIS will lead to a safer food supply and give us the ability to track down food borne illness to the source. This, according to advocates, will protect the health of American Citizens and protect American farmers and ranchers markets overseas from disruption.

So, let's look at the latest food borne illness in the US and how it could have been made less virulent with the proper use of NAIS. The latest food borne illness in the US was an outbreak of E.coli. E. coli comes from beef so obviously NAIS would track the beef to the source. So lets look at the news story.

More E. coli infected spinach found in US outbreak

More bags of spinach tainted with toxic E. coli bacteria have been found and could help investigators track down an outbreak that may have killed three people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

SPINACH!!!??? The E. coli outbreak is in spinach? How do we protect ourselves using NAIS when the food borne illness is in spinach? I guess we will have to start a new program called National Spinach Identification Program. Each and every leaf of spinach will have to have it's own unique 15 digit identification number. This number will have to be recorded for each movement of the leaf from field to, processor, supplier, trucking company, grocery store, to the consumer, who of courses needs to give their name, address, American ID code, and personal signature acknowledging acceptance of the identified spinach and absolving the large corporations of any responsibility in any liability associated with the product. Yea, that's the way the government should handle it to protect us all.

Sounds pretty silly doesn't it. Tracking a leaf of spinach from field to consumer but that's what they want to do with animals. Why animals and not all food products? Or is the NAIS program just a precursor to labeling all food?

That's it, they will expand the NAIS system to include all food products including Spinach. Let's call it the Federal Uniform Calories Key Identification Tracking (FUCK IT). It will go right along with the Real ID program to track everything and everyone.

I, of course, exaggerate here but wanted to point out the fact that the NAIS program would not have helped with the latest food borne illness and would not significantly affect any future ones either. NAIS is not about protecting the food supply but protecting the large corporations from liability for their slaughter practices and to protect the Packers market.

An Identification number never stopped a disease, it just gives the government an excuse to help the Meat Packers.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Personal at 04:37 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Animal ID opponents gaining steam

Another rebellion is brewing across the hinterland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has targeted ranchers, farmers, horse owners, homesteaders, organic gardeners and chicken-owning grandmas for participation in a new National Animal Identification System. The targets are unhappy and are organizing to see that the USDA cannot force participation in this new high-tech government program.

Sen. Jim Talent and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, both from Missouri, have introduced legislation in both chambers that will prohibit the USDA from imposing a "mandatory" animal identification program on livestock owners. The bills will also prohibit the use of federal funds to support any state program that mandates participation.

The USDA and the promoters of the NAIS are furious. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in particular, has been a strong supporter of the program. But many individual Farm Bureau members, and some county and state organizations, oppose a mandatory program and are supporting the Talent-Emerson bills. There has been more than casual talk about widespread defections from the Farm Bureau because of the national association's support for the program.

The National Cattle and Beef Association is also concerned about losing members because of the association's outspoken support for NAIS. NCBA's response to the introduction of the Talent-Emerson bills was considerably less caustic than was the American Farm Bureau Federation's. NCBA's recent increase in membership fees and the emergence of the competitive R-CALF organization were already causing concern about member loyalty for the NCBA leadership. According to a congressional staffer (who must remain anonymous in order to keep his job), the NCBA folks are softening their position on NAIS.

The grass-roots community is ramping up its opposition to the NAIS and generating support for the Talent-Emerson bills.

Yes, the people can make a difference. It seems to be unusual in this day and age but it happens. Keep writing the Senators and Congressmen and state officials. Let them know how unhappy you are about this. Quit those organizations that support it and join organizations that oppose it. Our message is starting to get through. Keep the pressure up.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but it does organize people to oppose it.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Opinion Piece at 04:44 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Lawmakers seek to keep animal ID voluntary

Measures have been introduced in both the House and Senate to prohibit the USDA from developing a mandatory National Animal ID System.

Senator Jim Talent and Representative Jo Ann Emerson, each a Missouri Republican, introduced the measures in their respective chambers to make the system strictly voluntary.

The bill would prohibit the USDA from mandating livestock owner participation in an animal ID system, according to a news release from Senator Talent's office.

It would also address privacy concerns. Under the proposal, confidential records submitted to USDA by livestock owners would not be subject to any request under the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, they could only be shared with other departments under specific circumstances.

This is promising. The whole NAIS thing is happening in the corridors of the USDA without legislative oversight. This is a start of getting the appropriate oversight involved to control the USDA and their over reaching plan to track every critter in the US from birth to death. Call and/or write your Congressman and Senators to get on board and support these bills.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Action Efforts at 04:42 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I think Leo McDonnell, Past President of R-CALF USA, needs to get his story straight. At a recent get together in Mississippi he told the gathered crowd;

“R-CALF USA does not support the proposed Animal ID system,” he said. “It is hypocrisy to put such a costly and burdensome regulation on the U.S. industry while we lower our import standards to countries that could expose us to higher disease risk.”

Now I've always been disappointed with R-CALF for there lackluster attitude towards NAIS. I thought maybe Leo's statement was a shift from their position to a stronger negative position of this issue. I was wrong. Here we find R-CALF's position on NAIS.

R-CALF USA is committed to working with Congress and the Administration on animal identification to ensure:

The industry is fully informed of the expected costs and benefits of any proposed system;

Producer input is taken into account and weighed fully before any mandatory system is created;

If a single tracking database is created and submissions of producer data are mandated, the system is exclusively managed by the federal government in coordination with state and tribal animal health authorities; and

Any national identification system builds upon the success of existing animal identification systems, and there should be strong support for such systems and pilot projects that comply with national standards and protect producer data.

(emphasis added are mine)

What Leo said, and the above position don't jive. He needs to get his story straight. R-CALF's position is to work with the USDA to ensure before the mandatory system is in place that producers are aware of the costs and can publicly gripe about it. They also want the government to handle all the data, where it can be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests by anybody, and that existing methods of identification be taken into account. How in the hell does this position match the statement "R-CALF USA does not support the proposed Animal ID system?"

IT DOESN'T!!!!!

Like I said, R-Calf needs to take a strong position of opposition on this matter and they are dropping the ball. Too bad, they could have really increased their membership with a firm stance on this one. There is a lot of opposition to this out there to capitalize on. R-CALF should be taking advantage of it.

Leo, maybe you need to review the position on NAIS you proposed, you are being a typical politician and talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Personal at 04:23 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

It's always interesting to hear what Secretary of Agriculture Johanns has to say about NAIS. But I found an interesting story about the questions he is not answering about NAIS. I thought I would share these facts.

For example, Johanns repeatedly dodged questions about whether USDA's intent was to make and maintain NAIS as a voluntary or mandatory program. He stressed it's a voluntary program today and believes a voluntary program is preferable.

You will note that the draft plan has it as mandatory and he appears to be dodging the question on whether it will be or not. He keeps saying that he would "prefer" it to be voluntary , but no assurances are coming from him.

Johanns also demurs from questions aimed at assessing what level of voluntary participation is required for effective animal-health trace-back.

This is when it would become mandatory, if there is not enough voluntary participation. At what level will this happen? He won't commit.

Similarly, Johanns will not provide an answer about the system's cost, other than alluding to the $83 million USDA has already poured into it. One reason may be no such estimate exists, despite repeated requests from the industry for a cost-benefit analysis.

In a separate one-on-one interview, Chief Veterinary Officer, John Clifford, was more specific, implying producers will be responsible for purchasing and applying NAIS tags. He pointed out no state is currently charging producers to register their premises with NAIS, which is a prerequisite to obtaining official NAIS tags.

He doesn't want to talk about what it will cost the industry and producers. Some of his underlings are, but not Johanns He just keeps spouting how much the USDA has spent. So, since the USDA has spent money on it we are going to be forced to do it? Sounds like Johanns plan.

Other key questions still unanswered:
Who guarantees confidentiality? For obvious reasons, producers are unlikely to provide any NAIS data if they believe it could be accessed by anyone other than state and federal animal-health officials. Johanns said, "I agree with livestock producers who believe information about your livestock is your business, period."

Again, in a separate interview, Clifford was more specific. He explains USDA has protected producer info from prying eyes and the Freedom of Information Act via the Privacy Act. However, state animal-health officials and others continue to emphasize the need for legislation at both levels aimed at protecting NAIS data specifically.

What about working group recommendations? Each livestock species devised its own working group to make NAIS recommendations to the Secretary of Ag. Those from the Cattle Industry Working Group were submitted months ago and have yet to receive approval or denial from USDA. That means anything beyond premises registration remains speculation. In turn, that means few producers are likely to begin tagging cattle with NAIS tags until species-specific recommendations are adopted.

Is it all for all and one for all? Cattle and swine are more advanced in NAIS development than any of the others. Some other species are just getting started, while others continue to dig their feet in against elements of the program. It's difficult to imagine cattle producers embracing a program like NAIS if other species are allowed to sit on the sidelines.

Do you know what you're talking about? The cooperative effort between the livestock industry and the state and federal animal-health officials charged with protecting those industries emphasized the need for a national system for animal health purposes. Yet Johanns continues to harp on his belief the market will drive NAIS adoption, that there are already economic incentives in the domestic and international markets to provide ID.

All kinds of questions left unanswered by Johanns. Why is that? Scared because he doesn't want the industry figuring out what that this is against there interests? That's what I think, he doesn't want to be caught in a lie but can't tell the truth. Pretty uncomfortable position.

This final one really takes the cake. It has nothing to do with Johanns comments.

Perhaps the most positive outcome of the meeting was a public display of the livestock industry's ongoing resolve to develop and implement a national animal ID system for the purpose of protecting the nation's livestock. In an informal survey of the 600 meeting participants, 78% believe such a system is so imperative to protecting the livestock industry that it should be made mandatory.

In the opinion of the author of the piece, it is a positive outcome that some 78% of people at the conference think it should be mandatory. That is not the feeling out in the country. But what do you expect the outcome of the survey to be at a conference designed to promote NAIS. People that don't believe in it were not going to attend, only the full fledged supporters were there.

Keep those letters and phone calls going. Let your elected Representatives know how dangerous this is and how it needs derailed. Working together this can be stopped.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but it sure has Johanns avoiding the hard questions.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Government Propaganda at 03:56 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)