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Jane Bush [log in to unmask] EarthLink Revolves Around You. > [Original Message] > From: HT Network <[log in to unmask]> > To: Healthy Traditions Network <[log in to unmask]> > Date: 6/10/2006 2:01:49 PM > Subject: Fw: INFORMATION ALERT: NAIS UPDATE FOR SMALL FARMERS > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bill Sanda: Weston A. Price Foundation" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 8:01 AM > Subject: INFORMATION ALERT: NAIS UPDATE FOR SMALL FARMERS > > > > WESTON A. PRICE FOUNDATION > INFORMATION ALERT > June 9, 2006 > > NEW NAIS GUIDANCE FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMERS AND RANCHERS > > On June, 2006, the USDA released a new guidance for small-scale and > non-commercial farmers and ranchers > (http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=8 1621614&u=748299). > > For the first time, the USDA officially states that the focus of the > National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is animal health, primarily > within the commercial animal production sector in which animals move from > their birthplace to a subsequent location(s) over the animal's life cycle. > USDA claims that its NAIS efforts will therefore largely focus on commercial > operations and animals at such locations because of their higher risk of > spreading diseases among multiple locations and for greater distances, not > small-scale farmers and non-commercial producers. But this provides limited > reassurance because the USDA's definition of "non commercial" is incredibly > narrow, as discussed below. > > The NAIS participation guidelines for small, non-commercial producers is > based on how you manage (move, market, etc.) animals and the associated risk > of disease exposure and spread. Again, the NAIS covers only cattle and > bison, cervids (e.g., deer and elk); goats; horses; camelids (e.g., llamas > and alpacas); poultry; sheep; and hogs. > > Definition of Non-Commercial Producer for NAIS: > 1. Individuals whose animals are not moved to auction barns or from their > location to those of commercial producers; and/or > 2. Individuals whose animal movements are limited to those moved directly to > custom slaughter; movement within a single producer's premises; local fairs > and local 4-H events. > > Although the USDA includes this description of non-commercial producers as > being people who do not take their animals to auction barns, they do not > create an actual exemption for anything other than born on property and > never leaves the property except for slaughter. Even if everything they say > in this document is true, people who buy a calf from their neighbors or a > few baby chicks from the local feed store would have to identify and track > them. > > Guidance for Non-Commercial Producers Premises Registration: > USDA encourages, but does not require, all livestock and poultry owners to > register their premises with the animal health authority in their State, > regardless of the size of their operations or the number of animals present > at the facility. Voluntary registration of premises does not obligate > producers to identify their animals or to report the premises-to-premises > movement of their animals. > > The USDA's repeated admonition in this document that premises registration > is voluntary is not consistent with its other documents nor with what is > actually happening. The USDA's prior documents - which it has not > disclaimed - state that it expects 100% participation by January 2009, or it > will consider regulations. In other words, USDA's program is only voluntary > temporarily. And, even now, USDA is providing grants to several states to > implement NAIS. Some states, such as Wisconsin and Indiana, are already > mandating premises registrations., while others have proposed doing so. > USDA's avoidance of "mandatory" regulations does not mean that NAIS is > voluntary as that word is commonly understood. > > Animal Identification and Reporting Animal Movements: > > Scenarios that would not call for animals to be identified and/or movements > reported in the NAIS include: > animals that never leave the farm/location of birth; > animals moved from their birth premises directly to custom slaughter for > personal use of the animal's owner; > livestock moved from pasture-to-pasture within one's operation; > participation in local fairs and parade, > the local trading of birds among private individuals; and > animals that "get out" and cross over into the neighbor's land. > > Animals used for recreational purposes do not need to be identified if they > are permanently cared for at their birth premises. Taking your animal on a > trail ride with a neighbor would not be a reportable movement. > > Also, household pets (e.g., parakeets, cats and dogs) are not reportable to > the NAIS. > > These "scenarios" are an interesting mix. Moving animals from > pasture-to-pasture on one's own property was clearly not a reportable event > under the Draft Plan, since it did not involve leaving the "premises." The > same logic applies to animals that never leave the premises on which they > were born. But what do these two scenarios really mean? How many people > have animals that are born on their property, never leave their property, > and die on their property? Even the exclusion for custom slaughter is, in > practice, almost meaningless. How many people have their own breeding herds > or flocks, but raise animals only for their own personal consumption? > Almost anyone who has enough land and resources to support breeding animals > also sells at least some of their offspring for one reason or another. > > The USDA even contradicts itself in its attempts to discuss these reassuring > scenarios. In this document, USDA states, "Reportable movements are those > that involve a high risk of spreading disease, such as moving livestock from > a farm to an event where a large numbers of animals are brought together > from many sources." Anyone who has ever been to a local fair or parade > knows that they fall within this description. And the USDA's current Q&A on > their website includes the following: > "Q. If a Person Only Shows Animals or Only Takes Them to Trail Rides, Do > They Need to be Identified? > A. When people show or commingle their animals with animals from multiple > premises, the possibility of spreading disease becomes a factor. Those > animals will need to be identified." > > So participation in local fairs and parades will have to be reported. > > Will NAIS require that all livestock animals be microchipped? > USDA's official answer is "No." The notion that USDA will require all > animals - ranging from livestock to chicks - to have microchips is false, > according to this document. With regard to the question of how an animal > could be identified (i.e., ear tag, tattoo, microchip, leg-banding), USDA > declares its neutrality. The USDA claims that such questions should not be > answered for producers; instead, such questions would best be resolved by > producers themselves. > > While it is accurate that USDA has not proposed microchipping birds, USDA's > claim to neutrality is nonsense. They have already included, in the Draft > Program Standards, that RFIDs are the preferred/default ID for cattle. The > Michigan Department of Agriculture, using funding from USDA, has just > announced that all cattle will have to have RFID tags by March 2007 - no > other form of ID will be acceptable in the TB zones. And the Equine Species > Working Group has also specified RFID chips. NAIS is not technology > neutral. > > Will NAIS require that all animals to be tagged individually? > No. USDA states that tagging each and every animal individually would be > unrealistic and impractical. Group/lot ID is an option for both large- and > small-scale producers, depending on the circumstances, such as animals that > move as a group through the production chain (e.g., groups of pigs or > chickens). If a producer chooses to participate in the animal identification > system for a group of animals and utilizes the group/lot identification > method and later removes an animal from the group, that animal should then > be identified individually. However, this would be the case with animals > from any size farming operation, large or small. > > In this section, USDA has again made a technically correct statement that > does not tell the whole story. The definition of group ID makes it useful > only for confinement operations. USDA's Draft Program standards stated that > group identification can only be used where groups of animals are managed > together from birth to death and not commingled with other animals". Few > small farms manage their animals in completely isolated, single-age groups. > > What about individuals' religious freedoms? > The USDA claims to be sensitive to individuals' religious beliefs. We are > respectful of these beliefs and are committed to ensuring that workable > options are available to religious communities. > > Send Your Comments Regarding USDA's NAIS Program. > Comprehensive recommendations for identifying animals and reporting > movements are in development in cooperation with the species-specific > working groups and State-Federal animal health authorities. > We encourage you to make suggestions about NAIS by contacting the working > group(s) for the species of animal(s) you raise. The working group > information is on the left side of the NAIS Web page > (http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=8 1621614&u=748300); > under "Browse by Audience" click the "Select a Working Group" dropdown > button. Stakeholders can also submit comments to a particular working group > via e-mail at [log in to unmask] Please include the species > name and the term "working group" in the subject line of your e-mail. > > Although USDA is trying to direct comments to the working groups, it is > important that you also let your elected representatives know what you think > about NAIS. We encourage you to copy your representative and senators on > all correspondence that you send to the agency and working groups. To find > the names, mailing address, e-mail address or fax of your Senators and > Representative, please link to > http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=81 621614&u=748301. > > ******************************************************* > > Bill Sanda > Executive Director > Weston A. Price Foundation > [log in to unmask] > > > > > > ---------------------------------------- > You are subscribed to this list as [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe, send > email to > [log in to unmask] ring.org. > > Our postal address is > PMB #106-380 > 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW > Washington, District of Columbia 20016 > United States > If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html