No Mandatory Animal ID

Farmers Say No to Animal Tags

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a program initiated by the federal government to attach a radio frequency identification device (RFID) to each of the approximately 40 million cows, sheep, chickens, goats, pigs, horses, and other animals on 1.4 million U.S. farms, enabling regulators to quickly track and respond to mad cow disease, bioterrorism, and other such calamities.

The program is billed as "voluntary" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but that term is used about as loosely as a staff sergeant's call for volunteers. Already there is talk that states failing to enforce NAIS could lose USDA funding for certain programs, and that farmers whose premises and animals aren't registered could encounter trouble should their animals be shipped out of state and thus be deemed part of "interstate commerce."

Exactly what I was worried about. A "voluntary" program that is coercively "voluntary." You do it our way voluntarily or you will be punished. Isn't that a great way to run our country. The Feds have done it before and they will do it again.

I would be curious to know where the talk is coming from. Almost all opponents of NAIS, including me, have speculated that the Feds will do this but I wonder if there is something concrete or it's just hot air we are spreading.

How to derail this? I guess more letters to local and state politicians against making NAIS coercively "voluntary." It's the wrong approach.

An ear tag never stopped a disease.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in In The News at 04:25 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

We finally hear from the NCBA/Meat Packers on the change to a voluntary ID from the USDA.

Cattle Editorial: USDA Puts Animal ID On Voluntary Track

For several years, NCBA members have consistently held that a national animal identification system is necessary, but can be better accomplished on a voluntary, market-driven, and producer-led basis. While a government-mandated and government-controlled system may seem like an easier and quicker solution, NCBA has never viewed this as the answer. We’ve always maintained that the industry could provide a more secure, confidential, and efficient solution that would be met with much less resistance and mistrust than a government mandate.

You know, Mike John really thinks a lot of himself. He takes all the credit for the NCBA for the USDA deciding to make NAIS voluntary.

As always, NCBA took a pragmatic stance on this issue – aimed not at gaining headlines or publicity, but simply at achieving positive results for cattlemen. That’s the approach that leads to long term success on major policy issues, and positive, productive solutions for the cattle industry.

Excuse me, I remember when the NCBA was all for mandatory NAIS and was a partner with the USDA in pushing it. Then there was enough of an outcry they backed off to a producer led system which still didn't satisfy the critics until they added voluntary to their program. They no more deserve credit for the change than pigs can fly. The producers that complained and made the NCBA change its policy deserve all the credit.

Now that the program is voluntary, what does Mike John say we should do?

At this time, one of the most critical areas in which the livestock industry needs to show improvement is premises registration. USDA Under Secretary Bruce Knight recently reported that 23 percent of premises nationwide are now registered, and the agency hopes to push that figure to 25 percent by 2007. While this represents modest progress, those figures tell me that premises registration needs a significant shot in the arm. USDA has updated its National Animal Identification System User Guide and premises registration materials, which are now available to cattlemen on line at: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais. Along with its renewed emphasis on voluntary animal ID, these user-friendly tools should help USDA reach out to mainstream livestock producers. There will always be those who dig in their heels on the ID issue, but others simply need thorough, easy-to-access information to help them get started.

The cattle industry can certainly assist in this effort by better explaining the potential benefits of premises registration, as well as further steps that can be taken to register livestock movements and animal tracking data. These tools can help producers – both large and small – take advantage of value-added opportunities and improve their bottom line. But that process really begins with premises registration as a basic fundamental step. This isn’t confidential or sensitive data you’re providing. It’s really just contact and location information that can often be found in a phone book or other local directories.

So now that it's voluntary we should all march down to the USDA and sign up for the first step in giving up our rights, premise registration. If the information can be "found in a phone book or other local directories" as Mike John says, why do we need to go sign our premise up. The USDA has the information all ready and needs no help from us. The only thing they want from us is to voluntarily enslave ourselves to their system instead of standing up for our God given rights to reject their demands.

Mike Johns thinks is the first step to the profit opportunities that an ID program can bring. Show me the dollars. I had a long talk with the guy who buys my calves and feeds them and he was adamant that he did not want the critters to have an ID tag in them. The packers he sell to charge from $25-45 per head to scan the tag which kills his profit margin. If the packer or feeder won't pay for an animal with an ID tag, where is the profit opportunity for me. More money out of my pocket with no more coming in is a loss for me last time I checked So Mike John really needs a reality check.

THERE IS NO PROFIT OPPURTUNITY INVOLVED WITH ANIMAL ID, at this point. Yes, I admit that there might be profit some day but lets not put the cart before the horse. The profit might not be there for all of us. I remember quite a number of years ago the industry started a trend for producers like me to pre-condition calves before we sold them. We were told that this would bring us more money for our calves and that it was the way to go. I have resisted this movement to this day.

The reason why? I can profit fine without it. I sell my calves for the same price pre-conditioned calves of the same weight in my area sell for and I don't have the expense of pre-conditioning. Quality cattle don't need crutches like pre-conditioning or NAIS for a producer to make a profit. We can do it ourselves just fine. If I start losing money because I don't ID my calves then I can make the voluntary decision to register my place and ID my cattle. I don't need Mike John to tell me now is the time to register my place to show the USDA my good intentions.

Is this payoff to the USDA for making the program voluntary? You bet and Mike is trying to sell it to us.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, Mike John justs wants us to think it can.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in NCBA at 04:29 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Animal ID program remains voluntary for now

Facing wide opposition, Congress recently announced that the National Animal Identification System will be left voluntary at the present time.

“It will help the trust issues that some farmers and ranchers have raised about the national animal identification system,” Bruce Knight, undersecretary for marketing and regulation, is quoted as saying when making the announcement. “I’m certainly hoping to move beyond some of the very emotional debates on animal ID.”

Knight said that perhaps the debate against the system has only been an impediment to the process.

The program would require every location housing a single chicken, duck, turkey, cow, pig, goat, horse, or any other animal to be registered in a government database, where it’s assigned a number and GPS coordinates. Animal movements would be monitored on a national level with radio-frequency ear tags, retinal scans of eyes or DNA testing. The tracking system would pinpoint an animal’s movements within 48 hours after a disease was discovered.

Interesting article but I note a few things I would like to point out.

Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is the driving force behind NAIS and believes NAIS should be mandatory with every animal in the United States. Over the next 2 1/2 years the USDA had hoped to get 100 percent of premises registered.

Back to Colin Peterson. I didn't realize he was the whole driving force behind NAIS. I don know he still wants to make it mandatory. I've read quite a few places on the web where Peterson is a Conservative Democrat. I don't think it is a conservative sentiment to take away peoples freedom like he wants to with NAIS but what does this dumb cowboy know.

Alan Cassell, a member of the Knox County Cattleman’s Association and Black Angus farmer, said he thinks that animal identification is a good idea in the long run once the issue of cost is resolved. Originally, the idea was that the state would absorb part of the cost, although officials have changed some of their views about this.

The USDA now hopes to have all animals registered by January 2008, and to have full implementation of the system by January 2009. When asked whether he was pleased with the decision of Congress to bump the implementation goal to 2009, Cassell said, “Stretching it out over a length of time holds no bearing over the issue that it has to be done sometime.”

Cassell believes that, for most people who keep good records and manage their livestock well, it will require minimal outlay to make the transition from current records to the new identification system.

I think Cassell needs to get his head out of his ass and smell the cow shit. I damn well manage my livestock well but it would cost me a significant amount of money to move to an NAIS program, not a "minimal outlay" like he says. I would be curious to know what planet he lives on that he calls greater than $10,000 a "minimal outlay."

The last interesting item.

The identification program will not address imported meat products that enter the food supply chain.

So Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico or any other country can ship meat here and they don't have to meet the requirements of NAIS. So lets ask the question of what happens to these foreign products when they get here. For the most part they get mixed in with US beef by the packer so it becomes indistinguishable from an American product. Then lets say there is some contaminate found in it down the road further in the chain say at the restraunt level. Then what happens.

They trace the meat back to the plant then NAIS kicks in and they target all these American producers as the problem for the contamination and liquidate their herds for them. The authorities never once consider that it might be the foreign products that were introduced by the packer, since they can't be tracked, or the packer itself as the problem. They will just use NAIS to persecute American meat producers.

{sarcasm}Yep, NAIS is really going to help the US meat producers{/sarcasm}, help them right out of business thanks to our own government. {sarcasm}We really need it all right,{/sarcasm} if we want all our food to come from foreign countries.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but the ear tag could destroy American agriculture. Is that what you want to happen?

Posted by Sarpy Sam in In The News, Personal at 05:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Is National ID Really Dead?

Premise identification and animal identification have been hot topics in the agriculture community for years now. With recent announcements from USDA regarding the fate of the NAIS and premise ID, as well as articles questioning the current status of the program, I feel it is important to remind Hoosier producers of Indiana’s current position on premise and animal ID.

The premise ID program in Indiana is not “dead.” Although USDA does not require producers to enroll in the program, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health decided that with the risks of foreign animal diseases, and bio-terrorism, the premise ID mandate was needed in our state. According to Indiana state law, as of Sept. 1, 2006, any location involved with the purchase, sale or exhibition of livestock must possess a premise ID number. Some exhibitions, including the Hoosier Beef Congress, are requiring all exhibitors provide their number to register.

I've been concerned with the USDA backing off the mandatory aspects of NAIS, the states would be forced to pick up mandatory NAIS by the Federal Government. Hell, it doesn't even take the feds to pressure them as you see. Indiana is going ahead with Mandatory premise registration without the USDA pushing them. What's next, mandatory id?

Anyone who cares about freedom needs to be aware of these state efforts and fight them. Fight the good fight, write those state officials and let them know you think mandatory NAIS is wrong and not to push it. Our voices are the tools to fight this.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, people just think the ear tag does.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Government Propaganda at 04:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)