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In WFAN's recent Women's Farm Bill listening sessions and Farm Bill internet > survey, Animal ID was an issue that generated much discussion. Participants > fell on both sides of this issue. Please find below an action alert for > those who oppose Animal ID. Links at the end of the article, including > USDA's Animal ID website, can help you learn more about the topic. Thanks! > Cassi > > > Stop the USDA's Animal ID Program! > April 1, 2006 :: Berkeley Farmers' Markets > By Linda Graham, > Berkeley Farmers' Markets Program Manager > > Your rights to affordable foods direct from local farmers > are about to be chipped away. The USDA is quietly > using the US PATRIOT Act to rush in new legislation, > called NAIS (National Animal Identification System), > that will require ALL owners of horses, chickens, cows, > pigeons, goats, pigs, sheep, and other livestock to > register every animal with the federal government, and > to tag each animal with a 15-digit barcode or electronic > implant for tracking in a national database. Anyone > with even an egg hen in their backyard will be required > to tag the animal, file paperwork, and pay registration > fees in order to avoid fines. Animal owners will also be > subject to government inspection on their own property. > > Large factory farms lobbied for this new system in > order to sell to international markets, which had > previously banned US beef. However, NAIS will hurt > small farmers, homesteaders, animal owners, and > consumers of local foods. It will cause a huge financial > burden in fees, fines, tags, and equipment and will cost > time for paperwork and tracking of every baby chick or > piglet. These new costs will most impact small farmers, > and will be passed on to consumers of local sustainably > raised foods. NAIS makes it more difficult for people > to grow food and sell directly to consumers. > > The requirement for US citizens to register their own > property for federal tracking seriously impedes on our > freedom to privacy and other rights. It inhibits the > human right to farm and grow food, a basic tenet of > food security. If this type of system were applied to > seeds, one would be forced to register with the government > to grow a backyard garden. There are no > exceptions to the NAIS. Every livestock animal owner > will be required to register. The wording describes each > animal as part of "the national herd," rather than > private property. > > NAIS is already mandatory in Texas and Wisconsin, > and the USDA plans to make registration and tracking > mandatory for all animal owners in the US by 2008. > This outrageous system must be stopped in support of > small local family farming. > > WHAT YOU CAN DO: Talk to your friends. Write to > your congress people and representatives. Write to the > governor. Start a petition or postcard campaign. Write > letters to the editor of publications that you read. Make > buttons and bumper stickers. Organize a group. This > system is being rushed so quickly that very few groups > have formed to oppose it so far. > In July of 2006, the USDA will > issue its specific requirements > for registration, tagging, and > tracking. There will be a > limited public comment > period following this > announcement, and it is > crucial that folks speak up > during this time. Objections > may persuade the USDA to > modify or abandon some > requirements. > > FOR MORE INFO: > www.nonais.org > www.noanimalid.com > www.stopanimalid.org > www.usda.gov/nais > Send action alerts and news to [log in to unmask] > > Cassi Johnson > Development and Outreach Director > Women, Food, and Agriculture Network > 2105 Miami Dr > Iowa City, IA 52240 > W: 319-354-3760 C: 515-865-5142 > [log in to unmask] > > Women, Food, and Agriculture Network links and empowers women to build food > systems and communities that are healthy, just, sustainable, and that > promote environmental integrity. > > > > > *************************************************************************** > WFAN is a closed, unmoderated mailing list established to link and amplify > women's voices on issues of food systems, sustainable communities, and > environmental integrity. The sender is responsible for content. To post a Jane Bush [log in to unmask] EarthLink Revolves Around You. 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