The government has never been all that good at disaster management…
“Over the years, USDA officials have implemented hundreds of programs with great confidence and skill. Then there is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which some have nicknamed the “Katrina” of USDA rollouts. Developed with the best of intentions, the program has been tossed about and bruised so many different times, that if it had a mother, some sources speculate that she might not recognize it—-or even claim it.
Bruce Knight intends to fix the problem. In his new role as Undersecretary for Marketing and Inspection Services, he’s been charged with setting the NAIS upright, getting the key messages and benefits aligned, and actually demonstrating that people will register their premises first; animals second and eventually enable 48-hour traceability.
…Of course, the mandatory concept was not the only factor keeping producers awake at night. Producers worry about liability, confidentiality, and cost. “We still really don’t know what the program is going to be and how all of the data is going to work together,” noted AFBF President Bob Stallman during a press conference recently. “It remains to be seen how USDA is going to deal with those issues.”
…A “big push” this year will be to get livestock producers who raise animals destined for human consumption to enroll their premises. Look for USDA to announce grants and partnerships with a broader array of livestock industry groups and handlers in the near future— part of a plan that will hopefully be able to dramatically move the measurement “needle” in the right direction. “I’m very cognizant that one size does not fit all and we are developing strategies to make animal ID work with each of the species groups,” adds Knight.
…Industry organizations are already bringing different concepts to the table. For example, the pork producers recently sent USDA a letter, checking to see if premises identifications could be a requirement as a condition of sale, explains Knight. “We are checking to see if that would violate in any way, shape or form The Packers and Stockyards Act.
…Knight says that, as restaurants, retail outlets and consumers demand information, more producers will voluntarily register. The lack of an animal tracking mechanism is already putting the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage internationally, compared to Australia and Canada, where systems already exist. “We want U.S. producers to be competitive with the safest, most wholesome” product available anywhere,” he said.
Members of the House Agriculture Committee are expected to size up the animal identification picture during oversight hearings in the next few weeks. Thus far, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson is convinced that a mandatory approach is the only way to go. “We’ve spent close to $100 million and we don’t have a hell of a lot to show for it,” he noted during the AFBF convention two weeks ago. “We may have more livestock, but the Australians spent about $10 million and the Canadians spent $6 million (to get their systems in place). It seems that we should be done by now.””
-Sara Wyant for Farms.com
Note on facts and falicies:
- The USDA has a credibility problem. Honesty on their part, transparency on their part, would help but it is going to take them years to earn it back. Mr. Knight better be in for the long haul.
- BSE has not caused sales lost according to a USDA report
- The “competitive advantage internationally” is totally irrelevant to those of use who are small farmers. We sell locally. Our customers know us. They don’t need the added cost to their food that NAIS will bring. We farmers don’t need to waste our time with this - we’ve got real work to do. NAIS is only for the benefit of big business.
- The USA has been able to successfully reenter the Korea, Japanese and other foreign markets without an animal ID system in place. We don’t need Animal ID for foreign sales.
- Other countries are doing testing - a much more appropriate solution that actually checks for quality and disease rather than relying on a system like NAIS that may be months after the fact, after you’ve eaten dinner. NAIS does not prevent you from eating diseased animals.
- The USDA is failing to do its existing job of meat inspection. Doing their job would prevent food contamination, which by the way, occurs almost entirely in the processing plants, not on the farm.
- Feeding cows to cows causes BSE. Feeding corn to cows causes E. coli. Properly pasturing livestock produces healthier meats high in Omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart. NAIS does not prevent disease - Good farming practices do.
- Australia’s system only tracks cattle and it has 11 million ghost cattle in the system. Cattle producers hate it.
- Canada’s system only tracks cattle and unsuccessfully at that given that they have sold BSE contaminated cattle to the USA - or maybe that was considered a success, at least by the Canadians.
- Australia originally estimated the cost at $6 per head
- Australia has discovered the real cost is more like $37 per head
- There is a huge difference between tagging cattle (value >$1,000 per head) and tagging pigs (value $200 per head) and tagging chickens (value $3 per head). Australia’s system claims it only costs $6 per head so that is kind of a killer on chickens. Even on swine it is a killer since hog farmers are only making $5 per head.
- In the UK a 2004 Parliamentary Committee Inquiry revealed that they had 700 bureaucrats chasing a herd of 10 million cattle, costing Government and industry $69 per head sold, and still had 20% of the cattle on the database listed as “missing”. Ouch.
- NAIS will drive up taxes and the cost of food no matter how you cut it.
- In good new, NAIS will employee more government pencil pushers and fund their healthcare & pensions.
- In other good news NAIS benefits big business who can use Group ID’s for large lots of animals.
- Unfortunately NAIS hurts small farmers who must ID every single animal. This will result in the loss of local agriculture, farmers markets, the Buy Local ideal, Localavores and the Slow Food movement.
- $100 million is a lot to throw down the drain but my grandfather always said, “don’t throwing good money after bad!” Time to cut our losses and get the government out of the business of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
- The only beneficiaries of NAIS are big business. If big business wants it, let them fund it. Get the government out of NAIS.
Rep.Collin Peterson’s argument makes as much sense as Pres. Bush’s argument about Iraq. The USA has lost so many servicemen and women,thousands more wounded and crippled; billions spent, we should spend more because we should have more to show for it by now.
Comment gordon — January 24, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
I agree that government needs to get out of this. It may be too late though. I bought a couple of hogs from someone from New Hampshire back in 2004. The NH state vet sent the NYS vet a health certificate verifying all was well. Before you know it the NYS vet comes to our property (while we were NOT home) takes a GPS reading and “registers” our property. Sure enough, we recieved a “Congratulation” letter letting us know we had succesfully registered our premises and got our number. I hope this NAIS can be stopped. I feel that a decision has been made at high corporate and government levels that this WILL be done and events have been set into motion that cannot be changed. I hope it’s not too late already.
Comment James Colbert — January 24, 2007 @ 6:57 pm
James, it’s not too late if you fight back. The NY State Dept of Ag and Markets more recently has begun sending out those premises letters with a form for you to “opt out.” (Presumably they started offering the “opt out” because so many people complained about being forcibly “volunteered” into the program.) Call the Ag and Markets premises ID person and demand to be “opted out.”
Comment Mary Zanoni — January 24, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
James #2, I’m a stubborn s.o.b.
from New Hampshire…Find out who entered your property without a warrant and take them to court and be sure to call your local reporter. Don’t let them steal your rights. You’re probably right that “they” have decided this will happen…Problem is “we” have decided it won’t…and “we” own this country and aren’t going quietly into the night.
On another note - Mr. Knight
get the picture will you? YOU don’t have much to show for having spent 100 million $$
because “we” aren’t going to have NAIS voluntary or otherwise. Who appointed you King anyway? And what do you mean by “partnerships” ? Is that where you bribe or coerce people to give up their rights to justify the money you’ve already blown on a plan nobody wants…more of that kind of logic and you’ll qualify for PRESIDENT!
Comment Bob Constantine — January 24, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
#4, Bob please dont give Mr.Knight any idea’s of running for office.
I will have to “Choose” not to vote for him as I “Choose” not to go along with his Voluntary mandatory scheme to take my property.
Comment Gisela — January 25, 2007 @ 4:31 am
Good point Gordon,this sort of convoluted “logic” seems to be a symptom of being inside the beltway,very few are immune and peterson is a prime example.Remember he took a lot of cash from big ag to get elected,so “they” probably “own” his soul,after all “they” got him elected so why the heck should he care what the “people” think? Bet if someone against NAIS slipped a few of these folks a cool millon or so they would be rabidly against NAIS,you know…….on moral grounds,…of course! :o
Comment LEE — January 25, 2007 @ 8:25 am
checking to see if premises identifications could be a requirement as a condition of sale, explains Knight. “We are checking to see if that would violate in any way, shape or form The Packers and Stockyards Act.??????????
Hey Knight,WHAT ABOUT IF IT VIOLATES THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS,ever heard of them? you pathetic commie weasle!
Comment LEE — January 25, 2007 @ 8:38 am
I used this post to craft letters to all of my elected officials. I’ve only received one response by e-mail from one of my Senators - Senator Mel Martinez. I realize that this is a standard form letter in response to anything he gets about NAIS, but he seems to be firmly under the impression that everything the USDA says publically about it is 100% the truth. And he added the standard: If any legislation comes up, I’ll be sure to remember your views on the issue… Uh-huh, sure… Won’t stop me from sending letters though. This was the second set I sent this week, seven each time.
Comment Rachael — January 25, 2007 @ 10:28 am
“I’m very cognizant that one size does not fit all and we are developing strategies to make animal ID work with each of the species groups,” adds Knight.
Hey, he has been reading nonais.org!
Comment S BARACKMAN — January 25, 2007 @ 12:35 pm
i dont believe retail outlets,consumers,or restaurants demand I.D.,i know this because they dont even demand to know what country the meat they buy comes from. if they did they would be all over the USDA to lable the product that they are buying with a country of orgin lable so as to know. next time you buy meat from a super market or a food outlet ask them what country the meat they are selling to you came from,i will bet they dont even know or care. the next time you open a can of soup get the telephone # from the can call them ,ask where the meat product in the can came from,they wont tell you unless you put pressure on,put the pressure get a answer,it will surprise you.
Comment nick lecompte — January 28, 2007 @ 5:24 pm