NAIS Listening Sessions Announced

photo credit: adotjdotsmith

Give the Government an Earful on National Animal Identification System

Your chance to strenuously object to the Orwellian NAIS system, which seeks to number every farm animal and track their every move throughout their lifespan, is here.  The USDA is holding sessions where they will listen to farmers and consumers on this program. This program is patently unfair and intrusive, it is a heavier burden on small farms than on industrial farms (they get one number for each paddock full of cows, instead of each individual cow).

This program has already failed in Australia and Europe.  It costs way too much. Just think of the bureaucracy that it would create and the number of computers that it would take to track all this information. And it has failed to produce the desired result of more food safety in other countries. NAIS is meant to find the source of a pathogen outbreak, yet, it does nothing to deal with the troubling factory farming methods which create an environment for  virulent pathogens.  We can’t let it happen here, this one program could end our hopes for a more sustainable food system.

If you live within driving distance of one of these sessions, please plan to attend. It would be great to attend with your local farmer, or someone else who likes farm fresh food.

You can read up on the issue at farmandranchfreedom.org

USDA has posted the addresses for 6 of the 7 listening sessions on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).    The list is below.

NAIS is a major concern for all livestock owners, but particularly small-scale, sustainable livestock farmers because of the costs and intrusion involved.  While sustainable farmers would face severe challenges under NAIS, the CAFOs effectively get a free ride because of their ability to use group identification rather than individually identifying each animal.

We’re encouraging as many people as possible to attend these listening sessions to oppose NAIS and to promote more productive solutions to animal disease and food safety concerns (like decentralizing our food supply and supporting local agriculture).  You can read more about NAIS at  www.farmandranchfreedom.org, and we will have flyers and other materials about the listening sessions posted soon.

Harrisburg, PA – Thursday, May 14
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center
2300 N Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Pasco, WA – Monday, May 18
Trac Center
6600 Burden Blvd.
Pasco, WA 99301

Austin, TX – Wednesday, May 20
Embassy Suites Hotel Austin Central
5901 N IH-35
Austin, TX 78723

Birmingham, AL – Thursday, May 21
Cahaba Grand Convention Center
3660 Grandview Parkway
Birmingham. AL 35243

Louisville, KY – Friday, May 22
Crowne Plaza, Louisville, Airport
830 Phillips Lane
Louisville, KY 40209

Storrs, CT – Wednesday, May 27
University of Connecticut
Storrs Campus – Bishop Center
One Bishop Circle
Storrs, CT 06269

June 1 – Greeley, CO – location TBD – check http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/feedback