NAIS

The National Animal Identification System, http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/, is on track to become the law of the land. Many small flock owners oppose the program as overly burdensome, expensive, intrusive and requiring them to violate religious beliefs. Undeterred, the USDA continues to promote it. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-MN, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is prepared to stop mincing words and make it mandatory, http://tinyurl.com/2tc6oe.

Mary Zanoni of Farm for Life has dedicated her attentions to opposing NAIS. Her Newsletter this month provides detailed analysis of the NAIS Business Plan and how it addresses horses, cattle, sheep and goats specifically. She takes apart the history of the sheep scrrapie program and how it is being used to implement NAIS. Other existing animal disease programs are also being used to compell animal owners to participate in NAIS by registering their premises, numbering all their animals and reporting all animal movements.

Large corporate livestock operations want this program, and they are welcome to it. Forcing it on every small flock owner and small producer is wrong. Learn more from organizations like Farm for Life, P.O. Box 501, Canton, NY 13617, (315) 386-3199, the Northeast Organic Farming Organization, http://www.nofamass.org/programs/nais_info.php, the Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association, http://www.vicfa.net/ and http://noNAIS.org.