More NAIS information

[Gabe Ayers]

The lobby for this stuff just won’t go away….this is about profit for the few that will make money on this stuff…not really about public health….in my opinion..

SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM LISTENING SESSION LOCATIONS

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2009–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will hold a series of listening sessions on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The meetings will take place next month in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington state.

“USDA needs to hear directly from our stakeholders as we work together to create an animal disease traceability program we can all support,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “I encourage individuals and organizations to voice their concerns, ideas and potential solutions about animal identification, by either attending these listening sessions or submitting comments online.”

APHIS seeks to gather not only producer comments and concerns, but also potential or feasible solutions to create a program producers can feel comfortable supporting. The listening sessions will include information about the current program, as well as providing an opportunity to give public testimony or ask program-related questions. Discussion sessions related to NAIS’ cost, impact on small farmers, privacy and confidentiality, liability premises registration, animal identification and animal tracing will allow producers to provide their input on ways to make the program into something they all can support.

The public meetings will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, with registration one hour prior to each meeting. The meetings will be held in the following locations:

· Thursday, May 14: Harrisburg, Pa.

· Monday, May 18: Pasco, Wash.

· Wednesday, May 20: Austin, Texas

· Thursday, May 21: Birmingham, Ala.

· Friday, May 22: Louisville, Ky.

· Wednesday, May 27: Storrs, Conn.

· Monday, June 1: Greeley, Colo.

Additional information on the meetings can be found at: http://www.usda.gov/nais/feedback.

In 2004, APHIS began implementing NAIS, an animal traceability system that would enable producers and animal health officials to respond quickly and effectively to animal disease events in the United States.

Notice of this action is scheduled for publication in the May 1 Federal Register.

Release No. 0143.09

News from the House Agriculture Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 5, 2009

Media Contact: Scott Kuschmider (Agriculture) (202) 225-1496
Dena Graziano (Homeland Security) (202) 226-2616

Joint Subcommittee Reviews National Animal Identification System

WASHINGTON- Today, two House Subcommittees held a joint public hearing to review the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
The Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, chaired by Representative David Scott of Georgia, and the Homeland
Security’s Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, chaired by Representative Yvette Clarke of
New York, held a joint hearing to examine the identification system’s role in protecting U.S. producers and consumers from the
effects of an animal disease outbreak.

“The National Animal Identification System is a producer’s insurance against the potentially devastating economic impacts of a
widespread animal disease epidemic,” said Chairman Scott. “A robust animal ID system with full traceability provides protection by
helping to preserve producer market access, because it will allow us to more quickly isolate problem animals and stop the spread of
illness. This in turn will allow us to demonstrate to other nations that the U.S. herd is safe and reopen those markets to U.S.
goods.”

“I want to stress that our ability to effectively assess and respond to an animal disease outbreak remains limited until we have a
functioning animal ID system in place,” said Chairwoman Clarke. “This issue requires our urgent attention.”

“Today we heard from witnesses about the need for an effective animal identification system,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman
Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota. “While such a system is not intended to prevent a disease outbreak, it is a vital tool that can
help trace, track, and quarantine infected animals in case such an outbreak occurs. Identifying the source of an outbreak and
mitigating its effects will save taxpayers in the long run and keep our export markets open.”

“The emergence of new viruses further demonstrates our need to not only be prepared to react to disease outbreaks, but to also
undertake the necessary mitigation and research efforts that allow us to stay one step ahead,” said Committee on Homeland Security
Chairman Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi. “Animal identification is the first step in being able to trace animals and respond to
animal health emergencies.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) established NAIS in 2004 to enhance its existing animal health protection efforts by
offering national standards and expanding the level of participation beyond what had been required in existing disease programs.

The Joint Subcommittee heard testimony from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the overseer of NAIS, as well as the
Homeland Security Department’s Office of Health Affairs, which works with federal agency and State, local, tribal and private sector
partners to assist in protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure relating to food, agriculture, and veterinary resources.
State health, food safety and agriculture officials also testified about NAIS and State-administered animal identification efforts.

Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the House Agriculture Committee website at:
http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted online at a later date.

Witness List:

Panel I

Dr. John R. Clifford, Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Thomas McGinn, Chief Veterinarian, Office of Health Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.

Panel II

Dr. David C. Smith, Assistant Director, Division of Animal Industry, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Albany,
New York

Dr. Jerry R. Gillespie, Former Director of Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, University of California, Davis, Hopland,
California

Mr. Kevin M. Kirk, Special Assistant to the Division Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Animal Industry Division,
Lansing, Michigan

[hardpan99]

Josef Stalin would be SO proud.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

all I can say from England where every cow has a passport and eartags and we have movement restrictions and have to tell the government EVERY time we move a cow and get prosecuted if you dont comply – FIGHT THIS AS HARD AS YOU CAN! 😡 🙁

[Nat(wasIxy)]

oh yeh, they now want us to pay for privilege of them culling our animals aswell 😡

[Patrick]

@Ixy 8783 wrote:

all I can say from England where every cow has a passport and eartags and we have movement restrictions and have to tell the government EVERY time we move a cow and get prosecuted if you dont comply – FIGHT THIS AS HARD AS YOU CAN! 😡 🙁

Nice to hear from someone who is experiencing it firsthand. I hope that the groups who are supporting this, such as the FFA and some of the cattle organizations, realize that there are more important things in life than just opening up new markets in China for the big agribusiness corporations.

[Gabe Ayers]

Diary from someone who has actually read the 400 page report.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/10/729694/-USDAs-NAIS-All-Cost-No-Benefit-Report

[near horse]

Here are 2 news briefs RE: NAIS. Note that they are from an industry periodical (BEEF). It seems pretty clear that the lobbyists for large production plants and facilities are saying “this is what we need to do to continue our poor quality control standards that make us a lot of cash. If that puts folks out of business who actually do a good and decent job of raising food then so be it.”

Voluntary NAIS Won’t Work, Says Former EU Official

A voluntary animal ID system in the U.S. “won’t work” and risks devastating losses to disease and lost export opportunities, the former European Union (EU) commissioner for health and consumer protection told a Lexington, KY audience last week, he said, according to Feedstuffs magazine

David Byrne, who led the EU through the BSE, foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza epidemics, and put in place the EU’s animal ID system, says those experiences provided “a number of lessons.” These include the need for the rapid traceback of animals, feed and food to remove sick animals and unsafe feed and food from the system. He says authorities also learned that transparency is absolutely necessary.

Appearing at the Alltech International Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium in Lexington, KY, last week, Byrne said the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) must be mandatory.

“There needs to be a level playing pitch – a law or rule that applies to everyone. If there’s a disease outbreak, the animals enrolled in a voluntary system would be traceable, but animals not registered would continue to spread the disease and undermine the benefits of identifying and tracing the former.”

Accordingly, without “a comprehensive system” in which all cattle, for instance, are enrolled and traceable, the only option to eradicate a disease might be destruction of the entire herd, Byrne says.

Additionally, countries that don’t establish national animal ID will find themselves locked out of many markets that will ban or restrict imports from those countries, he said. Moreover, if governments don’t impose restrictions, food businesses – driven by consumer desires for traceability – will.
— Muriel Elizabeth Hayes

USDA Sets Six More NAIS Listening Sessions For June

USDA announced an additional six public meetings in June to discuss stakeholder concerns on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). In addition to the June 1 meeting previously announced for Loveland, CO at The Ranch in the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex, new meetings are set for: June 9 in Jefferson City, MO; June 11 in Rapid City, SD; June 16 in Albuquerque, NM; June 18 in Riverside, CA; June 25 in Raleigh, NC; and June 27 in Jasper, FL.

USDA is seeking to engage stakeholders and producers to hear not only their concerns about NAIS but also potential or feasible solutions to those concerns. Info and ideas gathered will assist USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in making decisions about the future direction of animal traceability in the U.S., USDA says.

In addition to attending the meetings, comments can also be provided at: animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/feedback.shtml.
— USDA release

[near horse]

Hey all,

I read that a poll conducted through BEEF magazine showed that most producers think the NAIS proposal should be scrapped, not mandatory or voluntary. The question is will USDA pay attention or do like the FCC did a few years back and take comment but still do what ever it damn well pleases.

If you’re a small producer, check out NoNAIS. Keep hammering your representatives if you find this regulation to be an unjust burden for small farmers to bear just so the Cargills, ConAgras and ADMs can force open export markets.

[Rick H.]

We must continue to let our US senators and our congessional rep know how each of us feel on this issue. A hand written letter is best, it gets the aids attention more than e-mails. Anyone going through that much bother is taken more serious. Let them know that they can count on your vote going to who ever their next opponent is if they don’t help sink this idea. And then do it if they don’t help bring it down, threats are hollow, don’t threaten, follow through.
At times being a single issue voter is needed instead of looking at the big picture. Because there will not be a big picture, at least not a worth while one if these individual issues succeed. Just my take on it from these foggy, rainy hills.

[Author]

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