NoNAIS.org

John Maday over on Drovers complains that we don’t have the USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and traceability yet.

China, which remains virtually closed to U.S. beef, offers huge potential if negotiators can reach a trade deal, Haggard says. Access for U.S. beef would immediately make China our number-five export customer with vast potential to grow from there.
-Drovers

Face the facts: We do not need an export market. Hasn’t he noticed that the US is a major importer of beef. More importantly, virtually all of the livestock farmers are small. They don’t export. There is no justification for forcing NAIS on all of us just so a few of you can make extra money exporting to foreign markets. If you want to export then develop your own private, non-governmental, totally voluntary traceability program and participate in it but leave the rest of us alone. If you want it you should bear the full brunt of the costs. This is not a function for government. Taxpayers should not be burdened so you can make a profit in China.

We already have traceability at our farm. I know where my pigs are. Do you know where yours are? Shame on you if you don’t.

Over at the CattleNetwork Tom Quaife writes:

The Obama Administration and Democratic majority in Congress were supposed to be more enlightened toward food safety and traceability than the Republicans. What a disappointment. -CattleNetwork

Well, no surprise. The only shock is that he doesn’t get it. There is virtually no support for the USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS). They’ve spent years trying to force it down our throats but over 90% of the farmers don’t want it. Who wants it?

Big Ag - It costs them almost nothing, they don’t have to tag and track individual animals, they get a no-cost marketing tool that small farmers already offer (traceability). This will drive up the cost of production ($3 for a chicken, $50 for a cow) so that their small competition get forced out of business. That will allow Big Ag to capture the last 15% of the market.

Tag and Track Makers - The companies that are making the equipment love NAIS because it offers them a government subsidized forced market. What’s not to love about guaranteed profits? Well, as the tax payer and farmer we’re getting shafted.

Government Regulators - New bureaucracy means they get bigger staffs, promotions, higher salaries and more job security. All of this is at tax payer expense so watch as not just your food bill soars but your taxes as well.

Last year Vilsack, the head of the USDA, did listening sessions around the nation about NAIS. Boy, did he get an earful! So much so that he stopped listening and left his lackies there to hold the fort. Virtually nobody spoke up for NAIS. Same goes with the written comments. Almost all comments were against NAIS. It’s simple, the people, the consumers, the tax payers, the farmers don’t want NAIS. The only ones who want it are the big corps and regulators who benefit from it.

If you want traceability, buy from your local small farmer. We know all of our animals. Your dinner is grazing out in our pastures. Drive by and see it and enjoy the knowledge that we don’t feed slaughter wastes (BSE), antibiotics (MRSA), hormones and -cides to our animals or plants.

by Darol Dickinson, 6/25/10

The USDA program, NAIS was officially ended on Feb. 5, 2010. There was a great deal of jubilance when Sec. Vilsack made this long-awaited announcement. Over 90% of livestock owners attending USDA listening sessions did not want to surrender to this “potentially mandatory” surveillance plan. On Feb. 5, many people were led to believe the NAIS dragon was dead.

NAIS was extremely easy to enroll, but almost required a court order to get un-enrolled. The dastardly revealing of NAIS enforcements caused many who enrolled early to want to opt out. Many who tried getting out went through months of government forms, multiple filings, and governmental harassment before being released. Many tried hard, yet gave up the battle part way through the maze.

Sec. Vilsack indicates that NAIS data will remain under the control of the government. The reason is, it costs something around $150,000,000 (that’s government numbers) to coerce these property enrollments. Congress may not be happy to just throw all this wasted effort under the tractor. And, at some future date the states, or federales may want to resurrect this batch of enrollees and build a new program with them as a starting base, perhaps with new and more dastardly enforcements.

In fact, a new near identical program called Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) is now gearing up with listening sessions, Animal Advisory Committees, and the future “transparent” public comment periods. Previous public comments in harsh opposition to NAIS somewhat evaporated.

The new ADT promoters are the exact same USDA names and faces as the NAIS staff — no difference.

NAIS is officially ended. The name NAIS is no more. The 840 tags required on enrollee’s livestock that were “unlawful to remove” when NAIS was in full-growl — one is also led to believe that is over. With no NAIS there would be no need for enforcements of copious NAIS regulations.

Most people are removing the 840 pins, which have no value because no program is in effect. No mandatory federal computer scans the numbers. No accessible data base provides any feedback. They are attached in livestock ears waiting to be ripped out by brush, semi punch sides or hay feeders. One can walk out back at a major cattle auction and see buckets of removed 840s. The less ear tags the “fresher” cattle appear and assuredly are proven to sell better in the ring.

To get out of future USDA ADT programs, which old NAIS enrollees could likely be immersed into, with or without their knowledge, now is the time to get totally out. Across the fruited plain there is a stampede away from all NAIS ear or computer chip devices!

This is a detailed link on how to escape. Do it now before the new enforcements are resurrected with ADT. This Opt Out info is provided compliments of Liberty Ark. http://www.libertyark.net/opt_out.html