USDA to drop NAIS

[jehuchris]

Just got an update from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance that the USDA has just announced that it is dropping NAIS. Secretary Vilsack said that the USDA had gotten a failing grade on NAIS.

Below is the e-mail notification I got. Hope this encourages some of you.

Blessings,

Chris



Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

The USDA has announced that it is dropping NAIS!
This is a major victory for the grassroots!! Thank you to the thousands of people who called, wrote, organized meetings, and more. Dozens of organizations, from across the country and the full range of the political spectrum, worked together on this common cause. And we succeeded in making our voices heard.
USDA has stated that it is refocusing its efforts on “a new, flexible framework” that will apply only to animals moved in interstate commerce and encourage the use of “lower-cost” technology. During today’s conference call with USDA, I asked whether the agency would continue using federal funding to pressure states to adopt the program through cooperative agreements. In response, Secretary Vilsack stated that USDA has gotten a “failing grade” on NAIS and that he does NOT intend to try to implement it through the back door.
You can read more details from USDA at: www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/faq_traceability.pdf

We still have more work in front of us. As USDA develops its new framework, we must be involved and vocal, so that agribusiness does not develop yet another high-tech, big-industry boondoggle. We must be active at the state level to ensure that the state agencies do not implement unnecessary and burdensome rules. And we must work to roll back the unfair requirements that have already been implemented in Wisconsin and Michigan. Ultimately, it is up to us – as animal owners, homesteaders, farmers, ranchers, and consumers -- to build a positive vision for our farms and our food.
Thank you all!

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Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
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Cameron, Texas 76520
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[e-mail]

[Tammy]

You beat me to it! I was just getting ready to post.

Here is an article from the New York Times:

www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05livestock.html

Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and farmers, the Obama administration has decided to scrap a national program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

In abandoning the program, called the National Animal Identification System, officials said they would start over in trying to devise a livestock tracing program that could win widespread support from the industry.

The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will announce the changes on Friday, according to officials at the Agriculture Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public.

The officials said that it would be left to the states to devise many aspects of a new system, including requirements for identifying livestock.

New federal rules will be developed but the officials said they would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce, such as cattle raised in one state being transported to a slaughterhouse in another state.

It could take two years or more to create new federal rules, the officials said, and it was not clear how far the government would go to restrict the movement of livestock between states if the animals did not meet basic traceability standards.

The system was created by the Bush administration in 2004 after the discovery in late 2003 of a cow infected with mad cow disease.

Participation of ranchers and farmers in the identification system was voluntary, but the goal was to give every animal, or in the case of pigs and poultry, groups of animals, a unique identification number that would be entered in a database. The movements of animals would be tracked, and if there was a disease outbreak or a sick animal was found, officials could quickly locate other animals that had been exposed.

But the system quickly drew the ire of many farmers and ranchers, particularly cattle producers. Some objected to the cost of identification equipment and the extra work in having to report their animals’ movements. Others said they believed the voluntary system would become mandatory, that it was intrusive and that the federal government would use it to pry into their lives and finances.

The old system received $142 million in federal financing, but gained the participation of only 40 percent of the nation’s livestock producers, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

When Mr. Vilsack took over the Agriculture Department last year, he began a series of public meetings on the identification program and was bombarded by strident opposition.

Agriculture officials said that most details of a new system would be worked out in the coming months through consultation with the livestock industry and the states.

“It was just overwhelming in the country that people didn’t like it, and I think they took that feedback to heart,” said Mary Kay Thatcher, public policy director of the American Farm Bureau Federation, which had opposed the identification system. “I think it’s good they’ve at least said we’re going to do something different.”

Carol Tucker Foreman, a food safety expert of the Consumer Federation of America, agreed that the old system was not working and needed to be changed.

But she worried that a new system that could have different rules in every state might not be effective.

“It’s very, very hard to have an effective state-by-state program,” she said.

[ConnieG]

WOOO HOOO!!

[Tammy]

Before everyone gets too excited, though, they have not discarded the whole idea. From the article above:

"In abandoning the program, called the National Animal Identification System, officials said they would start over in trying to devise a livestock tracing program that could win widespread support from the industry. "

[jehuchris]

I still believe as I stated above that we need to watch what they do next but I think this is a reason to get VERY excited. Even back flips. ;D We may not have won the war yet but we've definatley won a major battle.

[Damon]

I do think a major hurdle has been crossed. I also think with the backlash the Administration is seeing in a number of issues and on a number of fronts that populism may rule the day on issues like this.

Or at least we can hope & pray that is the case.

Damon

[kristi]

While this isn't a dead issue yet, we're over a major hurdle and are definitely going in the right direction. Like Chris said, we have to continue to be active and vocal. This is wonderful news!

Kristi

[Janene]

I'm interested in what they'll come up with next.
They are going to try and make it sound as if its not NAIS-like, but I really wonder.....I guess time will tell.
We may have won this battle, but the war is not over.
Janene

[springvalley]

I am with Janene on this one, we may have won this battle, but the war is not over. They will regroup, pull their troups togeather and try a sneak attack on us again. It may be under the cover of darkness. or in the fog of a new morn. And hopefully we will all be ready to fight the fight again, and not be in the mess hall. Sorry, thought I was Patton for a moment. Good luck to all, as I know this will not be the end to it just a different corner. Thanks Marc

[Tammy]

Feb 6, 2010 0:20:20 GMT -5 Janene said:

I'm interested in what they'll come up with next.
They are going to try and make it sound as if its not NAIS-like, but I really wonder.....I guess time will tell.
We may have won this battle, but the war is not over.
Janene

Glad to see I'm not the only cynical one in the bunch!

[scrounger]

Let's not kid ourselves......
In order for them to "drop" NAIS, they had to ALREADY have an alternate plan ready to hit the "street". They have known for a LONG time that NAIS wasn't going to fly. This is not something they cooked up in the past 5-6 months. They HAD to be working on it for awhile.

It's amazing how they say the whole mess started when a cow from Canada was found to be "Mad Cow" positive. They traced THAT cow back to where it came from without NAIS.....
Don't think they've given up. Whatever the plan is now, it will only be the first step. They implement things one at a time until we wake up 5 years from now with NAIS and wonder how it got here.
It's the same with the "Health Care" bills - the process is to "get the foot in the door" and go from there.

[pipergrey93]

Amen Scrounger - I'm afraid we will wake up in this country to MANY things that develop in just that way! Thank the Lord for the internet - if we didn't have it, I can not imagine where we would be. Where we ARE is scary enough! "Illegal Raw Milk" - isn't that ludicrous on it's face? I'm EXHAUSTED from the government trying so hard to 'protect' me.

I saved the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to favorites (I'd never heard of it) - what a service it has done! Sandy

[jehuchris]

Tammy,

I don't think that someone is synical because they don't believe the gov't has given up on their efforts to push through some sort of "control". I think purdent, wise, cautious or a whole host of other words would better fit your stance. I think we should be greatful for the relief that this brings and be ever vigilent about staying up to date on what the gov't keeps on the table especially thru USDA. The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance is an excellent group and everyone can get on their e-mail distribution.

So in my eyes I don't see you as synical and I appreciate the fact that you are not naive. We should all try to remain as "watchmen on the wall."

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Chris

[Jenn]

"USDA has stated that it is refocusing its efforts on "a new, flexible framework" that will apply only to animals moved in interstate commerce and encourage the use of "lower-cost" technology."


They are going to take control in small bites this time...
-Jenn

[AJ & Denise]

I was so excited to see the article but you see it says, in two years they will ramp up again, and want states to take more responsibility, hey they already DO ! FEDS get smaller and spend less already! do yah here us yet ?When there has been any kind of disease they can track the animal already and have done so with existing systems in place , end of discussion! FEDS spend less! keep your noses out of small Famers and Businesses !!

[Joann]

I was thrilled when I read that Vilsak has called a halt to NAIS. This victory would never have occured had not many thousands of us expressed our informed opposition to this suffocating new bureurocracy. None of the articles actually explained the invasive potential of NAIS that was clear enough to us. Over the last few years I was repeatedly stunned to discover that even people who care about farms, food, animals and are even involved with USDA seemed never to have even heard of NAIS. I think we really scared them. Not that I doubt for a moment that you other posters are correct in thinking that the USDA/agribiz folks are merely regrouping. We will stay alert.

As I wrote three years ago, if our founding fathers had ever dreamed that constraints would be placed on the right of American citizens to produce their own food there would have been protection in the Bill of Rights. "Congress shall make no law....."

Joann