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NAIS in the Farm Bill
Take Action Now!
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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.
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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
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.
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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
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More Information and Talking Points on NAIS
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.
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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 ...
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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
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