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NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION
SYSTEM UPDATE
July 14, 2008
This report will attempt to catch
the reader up on what has been happening with NAIS since the
last update.
State Survey
The 2008 Membership Roster contains the results of the state
by state survey of the NAIS situation and points of contact
in each state. It is hoped that as changes occur, the NPGA
NAIS Coordinator will be informed and the survey data
updated.
Illinois
I was informed by an NPGA member that “the IL Department of
Agriculture has now decreed that ALL livestock exhibited at
ALL Illinois fairs must have a premise ID number on the
entry form in order to gain entry to the show.” I confirmed
with Jim Kunkle (IL Dept of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal
Health) that they are requiring a premises registration for
exhibition at 2008 Illinois 4-H, FFA, county and state
fairs.
Colorado
I was informed by an NPGA member that premise ID has become
mandatory for 4-H and FFA members if they are showing
“market animals” at the state fair, but not mandatory for
“breeding animals.” According to John Heller, Animal ID
Coordinator at the CO Dept of Agriculture, NAIS compliance
in CO is completely voluntary; however he says that in the
event of an “animal health concern” (not defined), CO law
allows for mandatory compliance with NAIS or similar system.
What this apparent conflict means remains unclear.
R-CALF USA Resolutions
The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United
Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), in their spring 2008
mail-in ballot, approved (by 96-98% of the vote!) several
significant modifications to the organization’s policies on
animal identification:
R-CALF USA opposes implementation of NAIS through coercive
or exclusionary tactics. USDA-APHIS has claimed that it
intends to use federal disease control programs, breed
association registries and interstate certificates of
veterinary inspection (health certificates) to implement
NAIS.
R-CALF USA opposes any form of a NAIS including any that
infringe upon the sovereignty of the states, tribes or
individuals, or that would cause the loss of inherent
freedoms.
R-CALF USA will work for the passage of legislation that
would prevent any department of the U.S. government from
making NAIS premises registration a prerequisite for
participation in state or federal programs.
R-CALF USA recommends the continuation of existing federal
disease control programs for livestock. R-CALF USA opposes
the harmonization of these existing systems with, or the use
of, these existing systems to implement or promote NAIS.
R-CALF USA opposes any government action that funds or
mandates premises registration and individual or industry
participation in the NAIS.
Lawsuit against USDA
On 5/15/08, attorneys for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
Fund sent a Notice of Intent to Sue letter to USDA and the
Michigan Department of Agriculture over implementation of
NAIS. The Notice asks USDA and MDA to immediately suspend
the funding and implementation of NAIS and fully examine
whether there is even a need for such a program.
On 7/14/08, USDA and the Michigan Department of Agriculture
were sued in the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia,
by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The suit asks
the court to issue an injunction to stop the implementation
of NAIS at either the state or federal levels by any state
or federal agency. If successful, the suit would halt the
program nationwide.
Another Lawsuit against USDA
Mary-Louise Zanoni, a New York journalist who covers family
farm issues is taking the government to court to require it
to keep faith with American farmers by allowing access to
its premises registration records. Although USDA maintains
that the premises registration portion of NAIS is voluntary,
many livestock owners report that, despite their refusal to
register, they have been placed in the program’s database
without their knowledge or consent. Opening the lists to
public scrutiny will allow farmers and animal owners to
ascertain what information the government is keeping on
them.
Another Back Door Move by USDA
The House of Representatives Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee has included pro-NAIS provisions in the
Agriculture Appropriations bill for 2009. According to a
press release, the bill would require USDA to purchase meat
products for the School Lunch Program from livestock
premises registered with NAIS beginning in July 2009. This
is a back door method for mandating NAIS through the power
of the purse strings. The bill also provides a total NAIS
funding level of $14.5 million or about $4.8 million above
2008. The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled
to hear this bill on 6/26/08; sometime after that, it will
go to the full House.
Ray Hoyt
NAIS Coordinator
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