From Doreen Hannes in Missouri:
“State Rep Whorton (MO) has entered legislation that restricts the NAIS! Rep Whorton took his own initiative and had this entered in our state (Missouri), and it is short and very obvious as to intent. No attempts at enabling NAIS in any form are present in this bill, and it doesn’t even try to mess with existent disease control programs.”
And the actual bill in its entirety:
FIRST REGULAR SESSION
94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES WHORTON (Sponsor), SMITH (150), KUESSNER,
WALLACE AND DOUGHERTY (Co-sponsors).Read 1st time January 16, 2007 and copies ordered printed.
D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 267, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the national animal
identification system.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 267, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 267.165, to read as follows:
267.165. The department of agriculture shall not participate in the national animal
identification system (NAIS) administered by the United States Department of Agriculture
absent specific statutory authorization for such participation.
Can anyone put this Bill into laymans terms?
Is MO., rejecting NAIS…?
What does this exactly mean:
“absent specific statutory authorization for such participation”
If MO. and WA.,is rejecting NAIS..there maybe a lot of small farmers moving to these states!
[I read it as MO is rejecting NAIS unless the legislature specifically authorizes it at some future point. The way things are right now is the Department of Agriculture can get involved with Cooperative Agreements with the USDA and implement regulations without forethought or permission. This happened in Vermont, our Agency of Ag (AoA) said they were going to do it because they could. We piped up and told our legislators. Our legislators said, “Whoa! AoA, you need to back up a few paces, you didn’t say “Mother May I’! First you must hold hearings around the state and see what the people say. The AoA held hearings during the summer of 2006. The People said “No!!!” loud and clear. In fact the AoA got a headache. The head of the AoA said, we’re bagging this bad idea, Premises ID is dead in Vermont (and thus NAIS is dead). The Secretary of Ag got fired, er, stepped down over this. We new have a new Secretary of Ag who says we won’t be doing Premises ID or NAIS. Sooo… back to MO. My reading is that what you’re seeing in MO is the start of the same sort of thing, maybe even a step beyond. Missouri’s legislature will hopefully pass this bill an stop the MO Department of Agriculture from unilaterally leading you down the slippery road to NAIS, mandatory or voluntary. Doreen is there in the thick of things and I’m sure she’ll chime into explain as developments happen. Write your state reps and let them know you want support for House Bill 422. Cheers -Walter]
Comment Jan L. — January 16, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Thank you Walter!
We cannot thank you enough for what you are doing for all of us here on your site…
Please Eeep on Keeping on ..we are listening!
Comment Jan L. — January 16, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
Makes me proud to be a transplanted Missourian!
Comment Nina Swain — January 20, 2007 @ 8:36 am