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Please take note of the request if you are able to call your senators to reques the animal ID system for ALL animals. As it stands it would require that all animals,including those for home use would require animal identifcation labeling. ________________________________ From: Judith McGeary [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 4:48 PM To: Vicki Morrone Subject: Urgent Alert on the Farm Bill - Please Call Now! NAIS in the Farm Bill Take Action Now! URGENT ALERT: Call the Senate Agriculture Committee IMMEDIATELY The Senate Agriculture Committee has just released the draft language of the Farm Bill, which will be discussed by the Committee tomorrow. The bad news is that the Livestock Title includes NAIS! Senator Harkin has included a provision that defines NAIS and addresses confidentiality of the information collected under it. This section implies approval of the USDA's program, without addressing the many problems with NAIS, including the USDA's misleading and coercive tactics. Take Action Call Senators Harkin and Chambliss, and your Senators. Ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues. If you are transferred to voice mail, leave a message with your name, phone number, and the reason you are calling. Be sure to mention that you are a constituent. MESSAGE: I want section 10305 taken out of the Farm Bill. I do not want NAIS included in the Farm Bill in any manner at all. While we appreciate Senator Harkin trying to protect people's privacy, the provision does more harm than good. The Senate should not imply approval for any form of federally planned or funded NAIS. People to Contact: * Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of Agriculture Committee, (D-IA) 202-224-3254 * Senator Saxby Chambliss, Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee, (R-GA) 202-224-3521 * Your Senators: Go to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KKc1B2rXnc0tI_y2Gko9BawPLsA8_IuwI5oNLNZHodES iRaN6eNRgD7UOWETjQe6r42zyUDyuCfjVwtkxBdVJtiZcJR-Qwrb-HfrlZo4GwBCxvsriHU7 lIoMcJDXJKzFn9vX5ZQAEVzI_wFUxOvOKq8gOpY2-uKXiG16eLPkDF6Xdii5I6T3eQ==> or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 877-851-6437. Be sure to call both of the Senators for your state. More information on Section 10305 and NAIS is at the end of this alert. Additional Contacts If you have extra time after calling your Senators, Senator Harkin, and Senator Chambliss, call the other Committee members, listed below. And pass this on to your friends and relatives in those states! Other Members of the Committee: Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 202-224-4242 Kent Conrad (D-ND) 202-224-2043 Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651 Blanch Lincoln (D-AR) 202-224-4843 Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) 202-224-4822 Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551 Ken Salazar (D-CO) 202-224-5852 Sherrod Brown (D-OH) 202-224-2315 Robert Casey (D-PA) 202-224-6324 Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) 202-224-3244 Richard Lugar (R-IN) 202-224-4814 Thad Cochran (R-MS) 202-224-5054 Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 202-224-2541 Pat Roberts (R-KS) 202-224-4774 Lindsey Graham (R-SC) 202-224-5972 Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202-224-5641 Mike Crapo (R-ID) 202-224-6142 John Thune (R-SD) 202-224-2321 Charles Grassley (R-IA) 202-224-3744 More Information and Talking Points on NAIS For more information on NAIS, go to www.farmandranchfreedom.org <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KKc1B2rXnc1iuCAXvfpdF-QZuOvkSgT53r4dAkL_0Qzb 4-DY1zNMjGhiilRi_bZ3FKw_yo8a0nV40as2kE70MZIJtCXHQUMMzYrZ-CeGgQIzYV4zBXxC Xx5VI4T5Ly-j> . The Top 10 Myths <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KKc1B2rXnc3eK5rfx4yCFxJa20byEVLy0pGZAa-Ha3Iu 8PjxQFVj20iZnIQrDe4IF0TvX5uIt9_WWjsbSkkSM01G1-GxMpVZEmANQHLp6tXhqwwn0JxF AOzP6o3UQ6HbNja7aekemlWStvb3uDvJLDbqZYLEhTB_QufSrTP_mG4d_pYGxVtxmA==> is good reading for newcomers to this issue. Talking Points: Please do not put any provision for NAIS in the Farm Bill. It is not right to insert a section to address confidentiality of information collected under NAIS, without addressing the myriad abuses that USDA has committed under the program. NAIS will hurt our economy: * There still is no cost-benefit analysis of NAIS. USDA has only recently requested one from Kansas State University. The study is unlikely to be a thorough or unbiased study, given that Kansas State has just established a federally-funded Animal Identification Center. * Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor * Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs * Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business. * Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, adding to inflation The USDA has provided no scientific proof to show that NAIS will improve disease control: * It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals. * It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease. NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program NAIS will not improve food safety: * USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program * Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point. NAIS will not protect against terrorism: * The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this. * The database of information, created by the state agency and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers. NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom. More Information on the Farm Bill Provision Section 10305 of the draft Farm Bill provides: Sec. 10305: Protection of Information in the Animal Identification System: The Animal Health Protection Act (7 USC 8301 et seq.) is amended ... by inserting ... the following: (a) Definition of National Animal Identification System - In this section, the term "national animal identification system" means a system for identifying or tracing animals that is established by the Secretary, (b) Protection from Disclosure ... For the full provision, go to http://agriculture.senate.gov/ <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KKc1B2rXnc3qU63qOwlZ_F3NGCfSfTTM5HtKcftKkwfw rWw6uDGerMy_GoD_l_uNixCqH6QZPx-Gi-bKz4dSGj-XnB9b9vBqW8Q8RDFkqQ64OwXAr6jc o15CvLsIp996> and follow the links for the Farm Bill. We have three opportunities to get this NAIS provision taken out of the Farm Bill: (1) in Wednesday's committee hearing; (2) on the floor of the Senate; and (3) in conference committee. So please be prepared to keep up the calls and letters. We're in this fight for the long haul! Judith McGeary Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance www.farmandranchfreedom.org <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KKc1B2rXnc1iuCAXvfpdF-QZuOvkSgT53r4dAkL_0Qzb 4-DY1zNMjGhiilRi_bZ3FKw_yo8a0nV40as2kE70MZIJtCXHQUMMzYrZ-CeGgQIzYV4zBXxC Xx5VI4T5Ly-j> 866-687-6452 This email service uses active, trackable links. If they do not come through your email properly, or you are not comfortable with them, you can always find the materials by navigating our website. 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