No Mandatory Animal ID

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.

According to Walter at noNAIS Rep Ron Paul has introduced an amendment to H.R.5384, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007, that would defund National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

AMENDMENT TO H.R., AS REPORTED
(AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS, 2007)
OFFERED BY MR. PAUL OF TEXAS

At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following new sections:

SEC. . None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to implement or administer the National Animal Identification System.

We must act immediately and call our Congressmen, the Capitol Switchboard can be reached at (202) 225-3121, and ask them to support Rep. Ron Paul's amendment to H.R. 5384. There is not time for letters or e-mail to make a difference, call now and maybe we can bury this unconstitutional invasion on our privacy and liberties.

Thanks

Congress To Include Livestock ID System In 07 Farm Bill

U.S. lawmakers intend to take on the responsibility of improving how the U.S. will operate a nation-wide livestock identification program - a tool to control outbreaks of animal diseases - when Congress writes the 2007 Farm Bill, even if that means delays, a key U.S. senator said Thursday.

Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., told reporters: "This is an issue we're going to deal with in the Farm Bill," and added it is more important to delay the process and "make sure we do it right."

It's more important than ever to get your voice raised and contact your Congressmen on NAIS issues. Too many of them are having their ears bent by the meat packing industry and they need to hear from producers that NAIS as conceived is not the right way. An option would be a metal tag herd ID system which would be less expensive, less intrusive, and easier for producers to manage. Let you voices be heard. Write, call, make noise now.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but it is going to make it into the Farm Bill if we don't act now.

Someone dropped a comment in an older post about a blog I found of interest called Stop Animal ID. If I read it right its an effort to promote understanding to all people about what the whole National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is proposing and doing. It bears for more than just cattle producers to keep an eye on this and act.

In Texas, once this is in full effect, you will be fined $1000 a DAY for not registering your premises if you have animals and, the way the Texas regs are worded, that INCLUDES pets.

According to this it even affects pet owners. People need to be paying attention to this and making noise. I've wrote my congressmen and Senators once about this, I think it's time to again.