NAIS: Are the Feds Backing Off?

[citizen_142002]

I just went to the USDA page about the National Animal Identification System. For those of you who haven't, it's worth a few minutes to check it out even if you don't intend to own livestock.
It looks like they have revised their language since I last read their page. They are emphasizing that the program is voluntary, and that while a mandatory phase could be implemented in a couple years, the USDA has no intention of making mandatory regulations at the federal level. It sounds like we may have a chance to smash NAIS at the state level, as we have tried with Real ID.

I think we should hold some event in the next month or two, to help keep pressure on the USDA. I believe that they have backed down a little, because of the groups that have been opposing NAIS. With more dissent they may back off the program all together. I know this may not seem that important compared to issues like the drug war and national human identification, but it is a serious threat to the freedom of family farmers and hobby farmers. It's just a way for the government to drive its tenticles deeper into agriculture and our food supply.

Does anyone know if the USDA has offices in New Hampshire?

[aries]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=usda&sll=43.20699,-71.538677&sspn=0.013982,0.039997&ie=UTF8&z=15&om=1

Those farmers are not happy about this.

[Kat Kanning]

Sounds good...how about herds of pigs wandering around the statehouse lawn?

[error]

Very strange. Instead of my Vegemite, I got a letter today from Sen. Russell Feingold's (D-Wis.) office on this very topic. It doesn't come out and say it in so many words, but it strongly suggests that NAIS is not going to come up before the Senate during this Congress. They seem to want to wait for a GAO report on the NAIS proposal instead. (That report should be complete sometime in the next few months.)

Maybe next year, so stay vigilant.

Most interesting, though, was the enclosure. "I forwarded these concerns to USDA, and I have enclosed a copy of its response for your review."

USDA's letter to Russ Feingold, which I hadn't previously seen, follows. The letter itself is undated, but bears two physical date stamps. One says DEC 15 2005, and the other says 2006 JAN 5 AM 9:42.

United States Department of Agriculture
Aniimal and Plant Health Inspection Service
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250

The Honorable Russell D. Feingold
United States Senate
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4904

Dear Senator Feingold:

Thank you for your letter of November 7, 2005, on behalf of [----------------] concerning the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and its potential effects on the exhibition poultry industry.

We recognize [--------]'s concerns and appreciate the opportunity to respond. Our Agency--in cooperation with State agencies and industry representatives--is currently developing the NAIS, which is intended to identify specific animals in the United States, record their movement over their lifespans, and enable rapid traceback of the movements of any diseased or exposed animal. This capability will help to ensure effective disease containment and maximum protection of America's livestock and poultry resources.

Our Agency is committed to developing NAIS policy in a fully transparent manner that invites input from all stakeholders. Currently, NAIS working groups comprised of industry and government representatives are developing plans for numerous animal species groups. These include: cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, poultry, bison, deer, elk, llamas, and alpacas. The Bird Industry Identification Working Group is in the early stages of setting priorities and exploring solutions to ensure effective poultry identification without placing undue burden on industry. In addition, our Agency is sponsoring a project to evaluate low-cost methods of individual bird identification.

We assure you that the working group has been considering numerous issues similar to those that [--------] raises in her letter. Accordingly, [--------] may wish to contact the working group directly. The working group has two subcommittees, one that focuses on industry issues and one that focuses on noncommercial, small-scale, and ethnic poultry issues. Mr. Gary Fuchs, a cochairman of the working group, represents the latter subcommittee. His address is Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Inc., 215 West Main Street, Cameron, Texas 76520. His telephone number is (254) 697-8505.

In the event that our Agency conducts new rulemaking regarding the NAIS, we assure you that stakeholders such as [--------] will be able to provide comments directly to our Agency. As part of the rulemaking process, we hold public comment periods to gather

The Honorable Russell D. Feingold
Page 2

input from all interested parties concerning proposed rules. The public comment periods help ensure that our decisionmaking benefits from a variety of input and perspectives on a given issue. All comments received are given careful consideration.

We hope that this information is helpful. We appreciate [--------] interest in these matters and continue to welcome input from all stakeholders as we develop the NAIS.

Sincerely,

/s/

W. Ron DeHaven
Administrator

[KBCraig]

All of that was bureaucratic-speak for, "We're taking proposals from vendors to see how we can make this work", not whether it should be done or not.

Kevin

[aries]

I wish I had a senator/rep that would say "NAIS Sucks and just for you im going to try and repeal it. Its a long shot but I'll at least try"

Instead of "well since there's no possible way you could disagree that such a program should exist (I mean come on, it's the LAW), I'm going to work to make sure it's handled the way my financial supporters want me to"

[citizen_142002]

We've got two brand new congress people in NH next year, so if we reach them early and in number about this maybe they'll do something.

Those of you who haven't moved yet can contact your Senators and Reps too. In this case, people outside of NH can have a great impact aswell.

Maybe we should try to get the NH House to pass a resolution against NAIS aswell.

[error]

Russ Feingold's staff is probably sick of hearing from me by now.

[aries]

We've got two brand new congress people in NH next year, so if we reach them early and in number about this maybe they'll do something.

Those of you who haven't moved yet can contact your Senators and Reps too. In this case, people outside of NH can have a great impact aswell.

Maybe we should try to get the NH House to pass a resolution against NAIS aswell.

They're party line D's, they love projects like NAIS... anything to put farmers out of work and on the streets.

[Pat McCotter]

NH Animal ID System

Livestock owners can now sign up for a unique "premises identification number" for their livestock facilities through the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Industry.

   
  Officials in the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Industry are in the process of identifying locations that manage or hold animals and assigning them a premises identification. This is an important first step to build a state and national animal identification system established through the United States Department of Agriculture.

The goal of the national system is to be able to trace everywhere an animal has been within 48 hours of a disease outbreak. The data will help identify animals that may have been exposed to a serious disease and determined where that exposure occurred. The information will help to ensure rapid disease containment and maximum protection of New Hampshire?s animals.

Animal health incidents can have large economic, human health or food safety impacts. The impetus for a national identification and tracking system accelerated after a Canadian-born cow with (BSE) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy was diagnosed in a Washington herd in 2003, the first case detected in the United States.

Premises include farms and hobby farms; veterinary clinics; stables; livestock markets; livestock trucker and dealer premises where animals are kept; slaughter, rendering and dead animal plants; livestock exhibitions; and any other location where livestock is kept.

Farmers will receive this unique identification number for farms and other property where livestock are kept. The number is assigned to a location, similar to an address.

The bottom line is protecting producers' livelihoods by ensuring animal health, assuring consumer confidence and maintaining market access. As soon as the department can record animal movements from farms, auctions, ports of entry, slaughter facilities, and all other points of concentration, the ability to respond to disease outbreaks will be strengthened.
Participation in the National Animal ID System is voluntary at this time in New Hampshire, but the expectation is for the program to become mandatory in the future. The National Animal Identification System will protect New Hampshire animal agriculture by providing producers and animal health officials with the infrastructure to:

Improve efforts in current disease eradication and control
Protect against foreign animal disease outbreaks
Address threats from deliberate introduction of disease
Animal identification is designed to reduce the financial and social impacts of a potential disease outbreak. It is important to uphold and continue confidence in New Hampshire?s agricultural and livestock products.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register?
There are currently 2 ways to register a premises in New Hampshire:
1.  http://agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/animal_industry/documents/NHVoluntaryNAISform.pdf
2.  Registrants without computer access may call Division of Animal Industry 603-271-2404 and request a form.

Who should register premises?
Any farm, including those that may only have one animal; veterinary clinics, fairgrounds where animals are exhibited; animal laboratories, markets/collection points; ports of entry; quarantine facilities; rendering plants; slaughter facilities; tagging sites; and any other locations where livestock are kept.

Why do we need an identification system?
Animal identification is not new. Animals have been identified in all of our regulatory programs since at least 1927 when the tuberculosis eradication effort began. Since Brucellosis is close to being eradicated in the United States, however, that system of tagging and identification is being phased out rapidly. Right now, several animal health programs include an animal identification component, and certain classes of livestock must be officially identified before entering interstate commerce. In addition, some animals must be identified before they can compete in shows or race on a track. So, there are multiple identification systems in place that exist for different purposes, but there is no nationwide animal identification system for all animals of any given species.

What is the advantage of NAIS?
NAIS is for disease tracking. The goal is to allow the rapid tracking of animals during a disease outbreak. The system is designed to allow state and federal officials to trace an individual animal, throughout its life, in 48 hours. The tracking system used today can take days or months to trace back animals. Even then, the search often leads to a dead end.

Is there a cost to registering premises?
No, USDA has provided funding for premises registration to New Hampshire and other states who utilize the federal registration system.

Won't NAIS cost producers a lot of money?
A disease outbreak would cost both producers and the government a tremendous amount of money. Currently, if there is a highly contagious disease, such as foot and mouth, both the industry and individual producers would suffer financially because of slow, incomplete tracing of the animals. The national animal identification system will allow the rapid tracing of animals, help limit the scope and expense of managing an outbreak and minimize an outbreak's impact on domestic and foreign markets.

Where can I obtain more information on the National Animal Identification System and Premises Registration in New Hampshire?
The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains a website dedicated solely to NAIS. The site contains the most current information concerning policy and implementation of NAIS . For more information or assistance with premises registration in New Hampshire contact Dr. Stephen Crawford at (603) 271-2404 or e-mail him at scrawford@agr.state.nh.us


More Frequently Asked Questions... http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/newsroom/factsheets/nais_qa_factsheet.shtml

Registration

If you would like to register your farm, download the NHVoluntaryNAISform.pdf. A PDF file that is printable. Mailing information is on the form. Online registration will be available soon.

Links and Downloads

National Animal Identification Information:
The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a national program intended to identify specific animals in the United States and record their movement over their lifespan. It is being developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and State agencies?in cooperation with industry?to enable 48-hour traceback of the movements of any diseased or exposed animal. This will help to ensure rapid disease containment and maximum protection of America's animals.

USDA
US Animal Identification Plan Information Site (USAIP)
Camelid Working Group
American Association of Bovine Practitioners
National Institute for Animal Agr.
United States Animal Health Association
American Horse Council
National Cattlemen?s Association
American Dairy Goat Association
National Livestock Producers Association
I Dairy

Small and Non-commercial Agriculture

Contact Us

Dr. Stephen Crawford, State Veterinarian
Tel: (603) 271-2404
Fax: (603) 271-1109
scrawford@agr.state.nh.us
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture- Animal Industry
State House Annex 25 Capital Street, 2nd Floor Concord, NH 03301

Visit the Contact Us page for Division of Animal Industry contact information.
 
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food
25 Capitol Street, 2nd Floor
Concord, NH 03302 
 

[error]

Voluntary my hairy ass! The country's taxpayers have been violently robbed to pay for this.

If this was REALLY necessary, the market would take care of it itself, for a lot less money, and wouldn't have to rob anybody to do it.

[error]

NAIS is dead!

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2010/02/05/national-animal-identification-system-scrapped/

[KBCraig]

The department still plans to create rules for livestock transported in interstate commerce, but will leave overall livestock tracking to the states.

Since quite a few states already implemented their own version of NAIS during the "voluntary" phase, this is still troubling.

[Lloyd Danforth]

All the state Ag pigs will probably be ordering shotguns, soon.