I have been hearing reports of some 4-H programs and state fairs forcing micro-chipping, Premises ID registration and Animal ID on children and unwilling livestock producers by requiring it for participation. In some cases they claim that NAIS or Premises ID is now mandatory. This is false. In other cases the show officials are unaware of people’s objections to NAIS, etc. This is unfortunate but you can change that by politely educating them to your concerns.
The latest example is the Tulsa State Fair in Oklahoma has the following on their entry forms for Wether Lambs and Meat Goats:
TULSA STATE FAIR
WETHER MEAT GOAT
NOMINATION FORM
I agree to care for daily the nominated wether by providing feed, water, and a healthy environment, in compliance with the Rules and Regulations of the Tulsa State Fair and at any time from this date of nomination, I will make this live project animal available immediately upon request for test samples to be taken by officials of the Tulsa State Fair; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, and/or any other Oklahoma State Agency. I understand that failure to cooperate fully with representatives of the above named organizations and/or micropchip ID loss or indication of tampering with the device, will result in immediate disqualification of this project and loss of my participation privileges in all future Tulsa State Fair competitive events.
-Tulsa Fair Entry Form
Rather draconian sounding on the face of it. I contacted Brandi Cook, the Livestock Coordinator for the Tulsa Fair. Here is her response by email in full:
From: BCook@tulsastatefair.com
Subject: RE: RFID at Tulsa Fair
Date: June 23, 2006 1:51:11 PM EDT
The Tulsa State Fair has tagged, and for years, has tagged the junior market animals that participate at the Tulsa State Fair and that are eligible for the Junior Livestock Auction. We have used the same tags for well over ten years. We, along with many other Junior Livestock Shows in the country, (Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma Youth Expo, just to name a few), use this tag because it is strong and durable. Also, it has a chip inside that holds the tag number and we scan the tag at nominations so we have accurate records linking the youth with the right animal. With the thousands of animals that we nominate record keeping is very important! The tag is not permanent. It is only used from nominations until the conclusion of the Tulsa State Fair and are only used to tie the owner to his/her animals. We do not care what they do with the tag after the fair. We DO NOT and have NEVER given out any information on our exhibitors or their animals anyone outside of the Tulsa State Fair.
The Tulsa State Fair only requires the animals nominated, (the junior market animals) to be tagged.
The Tulsa State Fair has not and has never used this tag because another organization has pushed us to do so. Simply, this tag has worked in the past, so we continue to use it.
The Tulsa State Fair, DOES NOT RECEIVE MONIES FROM THE NAIS OR THE USDA. We do not disclose any exhibitor information or animal information to either organizations.
Brandi Cook-Herndon
Livestock Coordinator
Tulsa State Fair
(918) 744-1113 ext. 2104
It is a relief to know that the fair will not be providing this information to government officials to use for false Premises ID registrations as has been done in some other states which have used 3rd party sources of information for false ‘voluntary’ Premises ID registrations. In this era of data theft, abuse and privacy concerns one asks: “Are the Tulsa Fair officials willing to guarantee your privacy or will they be passing your data on to other interested parties?” I hope that all officials will be sensitized to this issue and guarantee the privacy and protect the data of their participants.
One of the explinations used is that this is how they have been doing it for years. Perhaps it is time to change. We now have the USDA breathing down our necks about NAIS, Premises ID and Animal ID. We have identity theft running wild. We have government databases losing tens of millions of records of private citizens. People are scared of some of the things that used to be common practice. The fair needs to recognize this and adjust their practices to take this into account.
One question I do have is Ms. Cook’s statement that “the same tags have been used for the past 10 years.” It seems that the RFID is newer than that. Perhaps Ms. Cook is referring to the basic tag and not recognizing that part of what some people object to is the RFID component. The Tulsa officials could offer a non-RFID alternative because some folk object to the RFID tagging specifically. Whether that is reasonable or not is a moot point.
On the other hand, this is a voluntary fair, not something that is being mandated to own the animals. The number one objection I have to NAIS is that the government wants to mandate a system on us and thus taking away our basic right to own livestock and control our own production of food. Not only that but they are using our own tax dollars to whittle away at our rights. That is wrong on both accounts. This is not quite the same issue as show tags although the two are somewhat intertwined.
A small note is that the fair requires the social security number of the entrant. By law, this may not be required. You are required to give out your social security number. While this may be how it has been done for a long time and they may need it for prize reporting the process could be better handled. When someone wins and is going to receive a prize of the value requiring a social security number by the IRS then the fair could ask for the social security number. With all the problems with identity theft it would be best for the fair and other businesses not to be asking for too much information. Databases are not secure.
It is important that NAIS does not slip in as a de-facto standard by having officials claim it is required when it is not required. If we are silent then the powers that be will assume we don’t mind being stripped of our rights. If you are concerned regarding the use of RFID tags and Premises ID in shows then act now. Contact your local 4-H, FFA and fairs to let them know that you oppose the requirement of RFID tags, Premises ID, etc. It is only by speaking up and letting officials know that they become aware of your concerns. Make sure they understand the April 2006 USDA document spells out that no component of NAIS is mandatory yet. Premises ID is not required except in Wisconsin. Animal ID is not required. Animal Tracking is not required. At this date NAIS is 100% voluntary - let’s keep it that way.
