The National Animal Identification System has been a big issue in the agricultural community, but hasn't had much notice from the general media and, consequently, the general public. People see it as a farm issue that doesn't relate to them. They don't understand the implications for their lives and the food that will be available to them.
Two recent high-profile articles have done a good job of bringing the issue to a wider audience: "Farmers Fear a Barnyard Big Brother," in the Los Angeles Times, January 14, http://tinyurl.com/2brgl6, and The Nation Online, "USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program," December 14, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071231/pentland_gumpert.
Let's hope by shining more light on these programs we can get support to make NAIS truly voluntary, for those who want it, and not de facto imposed on those who do not.
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About Me
- Christine Heinrichs
- As a professional journalist, I began writing about heritaqe poultry after my daughter and I acquired our first chickens in the 1980s. Voyageur Press invited me to write How to Raise Chickens in 2007, followed by How to Raise Poultry in 2009. New editions of both were published in 2013 and 2014. The poultry book covers ducks, geese, swans, turkeys, guineafowl, game birds and ratites as well as chickens. My next book, The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens, will be available in May 2016. Traditional breeds are the best choice for small flocks. I continue as a regular contributor to Backyard Poultry magazine.
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