No Mandatory Animal ID

The Real Deal: Tagging Terrorist Chickens

Agribusiness lobbied the USDA to create a system to protect them from legal liability if an epidemic does break out. More, NAIS would protect agribusiness market share, forestalling a public revulsion against their product by “confirming” that only a few animals were sick, rather than not thousands. NAIS enables huge agribusiness conglomerates that concentrate thousands of animals (and so concentrate the chance for spreading diseases) to point their finger at someone else.

Here’s the scenario:

# People in Sheboygan get sick from something they ate.

# It’s determined the meat came from a local fast food joint.

# That fast food joint gets its meat from ABC cow factory.

# ABC cow factory buys cows from XYZ feedlots.

# Those feedlots had cows numbered 1q10 through 1q500 in their possession and those cows came from 15 small farms in suburban Tempe.

# Goodbye 15 small farms in suburban Tempe.

# Hello scapegoat for fast food joint, slaughterhouse, and feedlots.

Somebody besides me gets it. NAIS is the USDA/meat packing companies way of doing away with the small farmer and rancher. I might be overstating it a little but that's the way I see it. The author of this opinion piece has insightful vision to see it too.

I do have a serious question though. How does a person get people to care about this issue and do something about it? A few voices yelling and screaming about the issue and people just label you as a crackpot. Whether I'm cracked or not I don't know but I won't silence myself. But how do i effectively communicate my message? I'll think of something and keep working on it.

Remember, an ID number never stopped a disease.

Livestock ID system not working, says agent

The largest cattle agent at the biggest saleyards in Australia says the National Livestock Identification System equipment is not up to scratch and needs to be replaced.

It has been five months since Queensland's Roma saleyards spent $300,000 upgrading their facilities to cope with the new electronic ID system .

Elders agent Mick Connell says the equipment is not scanning tags properly and it is taking up to a third longer to process cattle.

The USDA keeps holding the Australia system up to us for NAIS. More and more I read and see on TV where the Australia system is broke and needs fixed. So, the USDA is going to saddle us with a broken system just to make the meat packers happy and enslave the farmers and ranchers. How lucky we all are.

Remember, an ID number never stopped a disease, it just cost us producers a lot of money.

Johanns says U-S close to completing system to track cattle

In this brief story Johanns says Animal ID is a "crucial tool in safeguarding animals from disease." Now I may be just a "dumb cowboy" but how does an id number or ear tag safeguard an animal from a disease? Quick answer, it doesn't. We really need to look further to see what might be driving this. NoNAIS.org has an idea though. Check it out.

Remember, an ear tag, ID number, or premise ID, never stopped a disease, but it might help line a politicians pocket.

Walter over at NoNAIS asked me "Can you tell me more about how many big producers do you think are against NAIS?"

I don't know what I can tell you for sure. I only know of one producer, very large (10,000 head of mother cows), in the area that is for NAIS. Everybody else opposes it. A good organization that has producers of all shapes and sizes that has many questions about NAIS is R-CALF USA. Another organization in the State of Montana that opposes it is the Montana Cattleman's Association. How the producers in these organizations break out big and small I can't say for sure but knowing some of the bigger members, there are quite a few of the bigger operators that are opposed to NAIS. Their opposition usually breaks out the same as mine, where do I benefit? Prove it. Whether all this opposition in our state is going to get anything accomplished I don't know but I wanted to be a voice out there talking about it.

I personally don't see the pay-off to having an NAIS system in place. A large operation, like a small one, has to put pencil to paper and figure out if an expense is going to pay for itself. I might sell multiple semi loads of cattle a year but nobody out there is giving me a premium for ID animals over the money they are paying now so where is the advantage? How the expense of the NAIS is going to pay for itself is beyond me. The only people that truly want this system is the big meat packers.

The big meat packers are why NAIS is going to be a mandatory system and not a voluntary system. The USDA is in bed with the big meat packers and the packers don't want to have to only slaughter animals with ID's for foreign markets at one time and then have to slaughter animals with no ID for the domestic market. This would mess up the way they just throw it all together and call it quality beef. This has been the meat packers opposition to Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) also. Having to segregate what they slaughter would cost them money. Easier and cheaper for them to buy off the government and have the cost of a system on the little producers so they can avoid it entirely. So really this fight is the meat packers/USDA against everybody else who owns animals. Getting them to see and understand that is the problem.

The question I would have for producers of common cattle, sheep, goats, chickens or any other critter affected by this is what price premium are you getting for critters with id's in them? Not promises of premiums, actual premiums. I've seen very little of this and I don't expect to. That's why the smart operators are opposing this, there is no benefit.

Remember, an ear tag, ID number, or premise ID, never stopped a disease or guaranteed a premium for your animals.

So what is my favorite organization to hate, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), up to now. First they say they are abandoning the private database concept of National Animal Identification System (NAIS) when talking to the foes of NAIS, R-CALF, and then turns around and tells the U.S. Animal Identification Organization, the people who are setting up the private database, to continue it's work to build a consolidated database of all animals as envisioned. Sounds like they are trying to blow smoke up my ass if you ask me. Tell the foes of it what they want to hear and then continue on just as you are doing.

This whole NAIS issue needs to stay on the front burner where it can be seen by everybody and I am doing all I can to do this. NAIS does not mean food security. It means the death of small farmers and ranchers every where who can't afford the cost and abuse this system will bring to all of us, big and small. Remember, an ear tag, ID number, or premise ID, never stopped a disease. Proper health and nutrition by caring people, not factory farms, provide disease prevention.

USDA abandons private database concept for NAIS

USDA, after hearing strong opposition from the industry, has abandoned its earlier decision to allow a single private entity to manage the livestock movement database in connection with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

But that wasn't the only major announcement from the agency concerning NAIS:

The agency's NAIS coordinator, Neil Hammerchmidt, told last week's meeting of R-CALF USA that there won't be a mandatory ID program by 2009, as previously announced.

And, he said, USDA attorneys are researching whether they have the legal authority to require producers to report livestock movement to a private entity.

This sure looks to me like a bunch of Government speak. I will attempt to decipher it.

"Since people don't like the idea of a private database we will just have the government keep the database and announce that there will be no mandatory program reporting to a private database. This will lull all the opposition to this program, like R-CALF, into thinking it won't be mandatory program down the line in 2009."

Yes, all they are saying is that they won't have a mandatory program that reports to a private database, not that there won't be a program. We need to keep up the pressure on this issue to stop the USDA from handing over production of all our food to the big corporations and factory farms who support the NAIS system. Remember, no ear tag ever stopped a disease.

One of the whole reasons behind the push for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) by the USDA is animal diseases such as bird flu. Yesterday I mentioned the fact that the USDA is proposing to let Chicken from China into the US where, in case you've missed it, bird flu is rampant.

So the USDA wants to count and number all critters in the US to prevent disease, which by the way I will point out an ear tag never stopped a disease, but is willing to allow imports from a country that has the same disease to continue with no problems. Does this make sense to anyone else out there?

I'll tell you it's all about the money, the big meat packers tell the USDA what they want and guess what, they get it. The American consumer gets cheap meat, probable unsafe from foreign sources that don't meet US standards, the meat packers get lots of money and the American producer gets the shaft. What a deal. For safe affordable meat the American consumer needs to wake up and smell the tulips and fight these proposals from the USDA. Otherwise the ability of this country to feed itself will disappear forever.

A private group has been formed to oversee the National Animal Identification System. The United States Animal Identification Organization held their first meeting via teleconference this week, where the board's first three members were elected.

One leader of the organization is NCBA member Rick Stott of Boise, Idaho. He says the group is a non-profit, independent organization with just one purpose: to provide an industry controlled entity to manage the National Animal Identification movement database.

With the way I see NCBA/meat packers manipulating the whole NAIS I don't feel at all good about this "Private group" being formed. I am sure it's packed with people who are towing the line to the meatpackers/NCBA/USDA line of bull we are being fed. Just another group to keep an eye on.

I normally don't link to opinion pieces but this one gets an exception.

The mark of the beast

The piece is about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and the problems with it.

Everyone wants a safe, abundant and affordable food supply, which America has enjoyed for years – without a National Animal Identification System. Why is it necessary now? The increased terrorist threat certainly justifies tightening up security in the food chain. But the NAIS does little or nothing to tighten security, while imposing ridiculous burdens upon the small producer.

The NAIS was initiated by the National Institute of Animal Agriculture, a non-government organization consisting of the leaders of agribusiness. The program they designed tends to shift the burden, cost and ultimate responsibility for food safety from the agribusiness giants to the small producer.

The NAIS requires the small producer to not only bear the cost of the program, but also to be the ultimate scapegoat in the event that an agribusiness supplier's product is found to be faulty, for whatever reason. Should little Johnny get sick after eating a hamburger made with beef supplied by BigAgri Packing Company, BigAgri simply points the finger to the producer, or producers, whose cows were in the batch from which Johnny's hamburger was made. Agribusiness shifts its responsibility for buying only healthy product to the farmer, who must guarantee his animals to be healthy.

The NAIS is an industry-designed program which will drive small producers out of business, reduce competition and ultimately put both supply and price in the hands of industry giants – unless opponents of this program get organized.

I agree with all of this. It's a program designed to put the burden of the whole system on the producers and not the big companies. The National Cattleman's Beef Association (NCBA) and the USDA support this system and as I've reported and showed before the big meat packers control these two entities to do what they want, which is NAIS.

I have yet to meet a rancher that supports this and one of my neighbors is a big supporter of NCBA so you think he would, well guess what, he doesn't. People need to wake up on this one and start hitting their congressman and state representatives. This will hurt all Americans in the long run and not help anybody but the big business drive the small producers out.

Herd Identification System (HIS).

[sarcasm]Interesting[/sarcasm] commentary from Mike John of the National Cattleman's Beef Association (NCBA), (the right arm of the meat packers) on the HIS.

As chairman, I have spent many hours working with my fellow commission members to move us toward a voluntary, producer-led solution to this issue.

Voluntary? How can a program that is mandated by the federal government be considered voluntary? Producer-led? The NCBA is led by the Meat packers, not producers so how can a program led by the NCBA be producer-led? Must be some good drugs around to make these statements.

He says critics like me are spreading lies about the system. I've never said a word above and beyond the ear tags don't stay in and I don't see that it is necessary to do, but lets approach his points.

NCBA’s just doing this to make money.

NCBA is not in this to make money, I agree. The NCBA is in on this because the meat packers want a system they can get information from to discriminate against producers of cattle that they deem to be sub quality or from producers that give them trouble. There is all ready anecdotal information (I can't find Internet links for it, sorry) that meat packers in Australia are doing just this so it's not a stretch to think the meat packers will do it here. Since the NCBA is controlled by the meat packers the NCBA is doing it.

USDA is handing this issue off to the NCBA.

USDA, NCBA, it doesn't matter, both organizations are controlled by the meat packers.

Cattlemen will be better served by a government system.

Hell, the last thing I want to see is the Government involved in this thing. One look at Hurricane Katrina ought to prove that to anybody.

If NCBA’s plan moves forward, it will have too much industry control.

NCBA does not plan to operate or control the national animal movement database once it is operational. Instead, we plan to turn it over to a non-profit, multi-species consortium that is independent of NCBA.

Prove it!!! I bet this organization they plan could be called the Independent Council of the Meat Packers, exactly who they are designing the system for.

Vendors will make all the money from this system.

It's a government mandated system, people who sell ear tags and tagging systems will make money. Who cares, if it wasn't a mandated system I wouldn't care.

We don’t really need animal ID.

If anyone still believes this, they simply are not paying attention to the industry. If you don’t believe that source verification is important, ask McDonald’s why they are paying a premium for it. If you don’t believe animal ID is important to our international trading partners, just look at the struggle we have endured to get market access back after being derailed by a single case of BSE. While we do not feel that animal ID should be mandated by the government, we believe the marketplace is already handing down an economic mandate that will provide cattlemen opportunities. To reap these benefits, cattlemen need a solution right now, not in three to five years.

As I've stated, I don't agree with this. I don't see where the HIS is necessary. My brand has worked good for years and the state of Montana can track cattle to me via the present brand in less than 24 hours. That's the goal of the system, so why do we need this expensive system using ear tags that isn't going to work properly, right now tests have it reading accurately less than 90% of the time, when the brand has worked good for centuries?

R-calf is starting to take a stance on this to get it out of the NCBA's hands. I applaud this and support them. If we have to do this, get it out of the NCBA's hands. Who's to administer it that producers can trust I can't say but I don't want to see the Government or NCBA involved.

I do have on question I would like to throw to the NCBA now. Why do you as an organization oppose Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) but support HIS? You support HIS because it lets the government/meat packers know where the cattle are coming from but oppose COOL which would let consumers know where their meat is coming from. Explain the difference to me? They look like the same thing in the long run.

Why the difference? I can answer this. The meat packers like to mix US ground beef with foreign sources of meat and they don't want to have to stop doing this and pawning the whole product off on consumers as US beef and COOL would stop them from doing this while HIS doesn't. NCBA=Meat packers. I told you.