No Mandatory Animal ID

This has to fall into the misleading quote of the year awards.

"The National Animal Identification System is one of the tougher programs to administer, but we are making progress with the voluntary approach," Knight said. "It doesn't cost anything, it's confidential, it's simple to do and, most importantly, it's the right thing to do."

It costs nothing the man says. What, are the ear tags free? I don't think so. Do they apply themselves? I don't think so. Bruce Knight really needs to get his facts straight about the system. It costs a lot in time and labor and is definitely not simple to do. Has this man ever put ear tags in cows before? Does he have any idea the work and time would be required to do this. I have stated from the beginning that to do NAIS I would have to hire another person to work on the ranch just to take care of the system and that would simply break me. I would not be able to operate then. Simple, easy, cost free. what a BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!! Government propaganda to sooth the masses.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but the government keeps trying to convince us it will.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Government Propaganda at 04:56 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Knight vows NAIS will never become mandatory

According to Dow Jones, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight promised Wednesday to keep the national animal identification system (NAIS) a permanently voluntary system. The Dow Jones article said Knight wants to end debate over whether or not the NAIS will ever become mandatory, because that worry is only impeding progress on implementing a voluntary system.

The Dow Jones report comes as USDA issued a 65-guide to the NAIS Wednesday. In an interview with Brownfield late last month, Knight also assured producers the NAIS would remain voluntary.

So, we have assurances and promises from Bruce Knight that NAIS will remain voluntary. What good is this promise? How can I be sure the next administration won't decide to make it mandatory? Hell, how can I be sure Johanns won't disavow Knight and decide to make it mandatory?

A government official's promise has absoultely no value in the real world and means nothing. Even if Congress were to pass the Emerson/Talent bill to make sure it stays voluntary it means nothig, the law could be changed down the line.

Knight's promise is really so much hot air since incoming House Agriculture Leader Collin Peterson has stated that he will work to ensure NAIS is mandatory which would blow Knight's promise to shreds.

We need to keep working on our Representatives on this issue with all the new members coming in. We can stop this if we try hard enough.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but if we work hard enough we can make sure the ear tag remains voluntary.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in Government Propaganda at 05:59 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Knight backs simpler voluntary national animal ID system

The Senate Ag Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the nomination of several top agriculture officials. Among them is, Bruce Knight, the current Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, who has been nominated for the post of USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

If confirmed, Knight will oversee key USDA agencies, including the Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration, the Agricultural Marketing Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In that role, Knight will also be the administration’s point man on national animal ID.

So there might be a new guy in charge of the NAIS program. What does he have to say.

Talent invited Knight to share his views, and Knight agreed with Talent that national animal ID should be a voluntary program. Knight also said national animal ID would be among his top priorities, and should be simplified to increase its adoption by livestock producers. “There is room for improvement making this touchable, tangible and understandable for farmers and ranchers,” Knight said. “We need a voluntary program that’s very easy to understand, and a program that is very apparent to producers why it’s important to both themselves as an individual and to the industry good as a whole,” he added.

Knight said such an approach could make a big difference in USDA’s approach to national animal ID. “And I think those precepts could be transformational in how we’re working with the national animal ID program at present,” said Knight.

It should be voulantary and it should be simpler. I can't agree more. These are the things I would like to see.

The big question in all this is does he truly beklive what hw is saying, or is he just saying it to be confirmed. Only time will tell.

An ear tag never stopped a disease.

Posted by Sarpy Sam in USDA at 04:17 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)