Since 2004 I have been trying to get the attention of our elected leaders, government officials and bureaucrats about just how bad the National Animal Identification System will be for small farmers and homesteaders. I feel resoundingly ignored by them. Most of them don’t bother to reply to my letters on this topic. The couple that have are strong supporters of NAIS, “all the way to the backyard” as they put it.

On the other hand I have written letters to the editors of our local daily newspapers and gotten a tremendous positive response. Friends, acquaintances and people I don’t even know stop me on the street, call me on the phone and email me telling me how much they liked the letters and how strongly they agree with me.

The common people are virtually universally against NAIS once they know about it. The problem is most people don’t know about NAIS because the USDA has been slipping it under the door without legislative review. Our government officials support NAIS. NAIS will hurt small farmers, homesteaders and pet owners as well as consumers. NAIS is great for big agri-businesses and the tag identification companies. Something’s fishy…

So, I have started this blog to help spread the word about the various groups fighting NAIS. I want to get the information out to the public so they can fight for their rights to raise their own food without government interference.

Some people would argue that the government helping big business win against the public good is par for the course. I say we need to fight it. Otherwise we’re just lambs being led to the slaughter.

Ask yourself what can you do to stop the government from taking away our rights? Can you send a letter to the editor? Can you write your Congressional representatives? Sign a petition? Tell people you know about this? Every little bit counts. Together we can stand up and stop this ridiculous abridgment of our rights. Act now.

Want to do more? Write an article for your local newspaper or a magazine. Have a blog or web site? Write about NAIS to get people informed about how bad it is. Contact influential people you know who can make a difference. Leverage the power of the people and technology. Help with alert items here at NoNAIS. Participate in the discussions about NAIS. Do what you can while you still have the right to speak up and fight back.

Sincerely,

Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
In Vermont