The Significance of the NAIS

The Liberty Ark Coalition has created an eight-minute slideshow that describes the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). From Liberty Ark's homepage:

"Industrial agriculture and technology companies are urging the government to adopt a program that will drive many small farms out of business, burden horse owners, invade our privacy, increase the cost of meat, and expand the government bureaucracy.

If the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is made mandatory, anyone who owns even one horse, chicken, cow, pig, sheep, goat, or any other livestock or exotic, will have to:

• Register their property with the state and federal government;
• Identify each animal, in most cases with electronic identification;
• Report events to a government-accessible database within 24 hours, including every dead or missing animal, private sales, and regional shows"

It further entrenches property rights (which I didn't think was possible), doesn't make food safer (though that's one of its goals), it doesn't help animals and it takes government intrusion and control to new heights. Finally, it can easily be seen as a trial program that can be perfected for later use on humans.

At Liberty Ark's site, you can learn more about the history of the NAIS and see what's going on in your state and what you can do.

If you think this doesn't affect you and your beliefs with regard to animals, think about this: animals will be chipped and their locations accessible by GPS. When chickens or pigs fall off a truck on the way to slaughter, and some person finds them and takes them to a sanctuary, the owner can easily find out where they are and may or may not retrieve them, but they'll have the right to because the owner can identify the animals as their property.

Comments

[Bea Elliott]

What a situation for someone who believes in Animal Rights to be faced with... to have to pick sides between the corporate Meat giants and the small "happy-meat" farmer...

Mary, I admire you for taking this one on.

You are right though, this issue does concern AR activists. If NAIS comes to law that nixes all animal rescues and will financially hinder sanctuaries.

Indeed it does further entrench property rights status of animals... In essence they will be "bar-coded" just like the widgets the industry sees them as.

It will give giant corporations unprecedented freedom to move live animals and "meat" into international markets. We think NAFTA is tough on "livestock"... we haven't seen anything, if NAIS passes.

NAIS will also cost money to implement... vegan tax dollars are not excluded.

And in a very frightening Orwellian view...
"monitoring" living beings electronically, fortells a dangerous path to the end of our personal liberties.

On this one... this one time... I have to agree with the Old Mcdonald farmer. For the animals, for us... NAIS must be prevented.

[Bea Elliott]

If anyone was wondering what name these new animal property/prisoners would have... there name and number is "840". NAIS is sneaking through the back door of COOL legislation - (country of origin labeling).

"USDA officials have moved to reserve the 840 prefix to animals born in the United States. The objective is to facilitate acceptance and implementation of animal identification. The agency has filed an interim rule outlining the measure."

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/baby_calf_health_Content.asp?ContentID=254631

"This interim rule became effective upon publication in the Sept. 18 Federal Register. USDA is accepting public comments on it, which must be received on or before Nov. 17."

[Bea Elliott]

Just an update on NAIS - it seems the USDA is pushing toward regulating animal "ownership" at a steady, unrelenting pace:
http://www.wilsoncountynews.com:80/article.php?id=21583&n=agriculture-today-usda-memo-mandates-nais-premises-identification-for-2009

[Bea Elliott]

And it appears the issue is now in court in Michigan... So much for "volunteer". It kinda got snuck in there as you can see:

"The suit charges that USDA has never published rules regarding NAIS, in violation of the Federal Administrative Procedures Act; has never performed an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act; is in violation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act that requires the USDA to analyze proposed rules for their impact on small entities and local governments; and violates religious freedoms guaranteed by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
"Other mandatory implementations, which weave NAIS into existing regulatory programs, have occurred in the States of Wisconsin and Indiana where premises registration has been made mandatory; in drought-stricken North Carolina and Tennessee, where farmers have been required to register their premises in order to obtain hay relief; and in Colorado where state fairs are requiring participants to register their premises under NAIS,"

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Legal-Defense-Fund-Answer-USDA/story.aspx?guid=%7BCCBD3213-1171-4817-BD2F-76A88601BEA0%7D

tick, tick... human animals in 20 years?

[Bea Elliott]

At Change.org:
"Even if you eat no meat or dairy at all, your organic vegetables will need to be grown with CAFO manure or petrochemical fertilizer as small scale animal agriculture will become a thing of the past in very short order. If you eat and care about food at all, you need to become active against the National Animal Identification System."

http://food.change.org/blog/view/bushs_flips_family_farms_the_bird

[Bea Elliott]

The AVMA was back on Capitol Hill to express its support for a mandatory national livestock identification program:

"Proponents of NAIS point out that animal identification systems are fast becoming prerequisites for international trade. Brazil, the European Union, Australia, Japan, and several other countries have adopted such systems, and many are mandatory

Receiving negligible risk status would not only enhance our ability to compete internationally, it would greatly support U.S. domestic price structures so that all producers—regardless of their interest in international marketing—would benefit when the United States expands its export markets."

One thing about the AVMA - they sure know what side of the bread their butter is on - (excuse the expression).

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr09/090415f.asp

[Esbee]

Thanks for seeing through was NAIS really is...NAIS is trying to be a one-size-fits-all program yet there is a huge difference between granny’s back yard hens, a pot belly pig in suburbia, horses which are not in the food chain and the multi-billion dollar corporate ag and factory farms, which this program was ultimately made for. Big ag gets one lot number per groups of animals raised in factory farms while the private animal/pet owner must tag and track every animal they own.

So what has been the general reaction among the general public when they find out about NAIS? Actually relatively few know and not many of those who will be impacted (livestock owners know) I found out from an email from a stranger. But over 90% who know oppose NAIS! (The USDA calls us "misinformed" when we disagree with NAIS rule and regs.

[Beaelliott]

Because of the recent egg recall... And many other dreadful "animal food" issues - NAIS might become part of the new Food Safety Act. I don't normally subscribe to the fear mongering of Alex Jones - But in this case he may have some valid concerns:
http://alexjones101.blogspot.com/2010/09/judith-mcgeary-animal-id-and-government.html

[Beaelliott]

Hello Mary Martin! I fear I may have co-opted this post of yours... My intentions are good - So I hope you'll tolerate my doing so.

Cattlemen who fought against the USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and thought they squelched it until the USDA revived it as Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) , are donating money to the United Horsemen and the International Equine Business Association (IEBA), which, ironically, seem to be bringing in NAIS/ADT through the back door.
http://rtfitchauthor.com/2012/02/22/horse-meat-snake-oil-salesmen-fool-cattle-ranchers/

They are a tricky bunch!
Loved your interview on AR Zone - Stay well. :)