[Jacob-list] New USDA mandatory program

[Linda]

I'm going to admit right off that we tend to eschew any government programs that we can.  I have not and will not apply for the $18 (or whatever it is now) per ewe lamb bought or retained.  It's not worth it to me.  But, I can't really afford to not be in the conservation program which cuts our taxes by $700/year, so I'm certainly not a purist.   An interesting aside - the conservation program requires that you produce an agricultural product on your land, be it animal or vegetable.  When I applied, the tax guy said "you're supposed to be producing something, but if you aren't that's okay".   Neal has a good point - if the government can't find Louisiana, I'm not sure if it will be able to find my donkey, who has never had any contact with local vets.

That aside, I'm not sure why mandatory ID would drive out the small scale producers?   I certainly will not be happy if/when I have to report every sheep here, but I already have detailed records for the last 13 years.  My Dad is retired DOD and they have been able to zero in on your address by satellite for many years.  I'm in the mandatory scrapie program here in Georgia.  The tags and applicator were free.  Personally, I don't like the look of plastic tags in the ears of my primitive sheep, but having to tag them isn't a financial burden.

Linda


Meet our new blue eyed spotted baby :-)
http://www.patchworkfibers.com/whatsnew.html">http://www.patchworkfibers.com/whatsnew.html

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:17:23 -0700, ARTHUR PARTRIDGE wrote:
>
> Why You Should Oppose the USDA's Mandatory Property and Animal
> Surveillance Program http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml
>
> by Mary Zanoni, Ph.D. (Cornell), J.D. (Yale), Executive Director of
> Farm for LifeTM P.O. Box 501, Canton, New York 13617
> Telephone: 315-265-2800 Email: < mlz at slic.com">mailto:mlz at slic.com> mlz at slic.com
>
> Poultry fanciers and keepers of small flocks are facing a grave
> threat from a proposed government intrusion into their innocent
> choice of pastimes and way of life.
> For several years, the USDA has been working with the largest-scale
> animal industry organizations (for example, the National Pork
> Producers, Monsanto Company, and Cargill Meat) to develop a
> mandatory "National Animal Identification System" ("NAIS").
> However, most small scale livestock producers, people who raise
> animals for their own food, and people who keep horses or livestock
> as companion animals do not know about the USDA's plans.
> The NAIS will drive small producers out of the market, will make
> people abandon raising animals for their own food, will invade
> Americans' personal privacy to a degree never before tolerated,
> will violate the religious freedom of Americans whose beliefs make
> it impossible for them to comply, and will erase the last vestiges
> of animal welfare from the production of animal foods. The Problem
> On April 25, 2005, the USDA released "Draft Program Standards"
> ("St.") and a "Draft Strategic Plan" ("Plan") concerning the NAIS.
> If you think the description below sounds too bizarre to be true,
> please go to usda.gov/nais, read the Standards and Plan, and check
> the citations.
> By January 1, 2008, the NAIS will be mandatory. (Plan, pp. 2, 10,
> 17.) Every person who owns even one horse, cow, pig, chicken,
> sheep, pigeon, or virtually any livestock animal, will be forced to
> register their home, including owner's name, address, and telephone
> number, and keyed to Global Positioning System coordinates for
> satellite monitoring, in a giant federal database under a 7-digit
> "premises ID number." (St., pp. 3-4, 10-12; Plan, p. 5.)
> Every animal will have to be assigned a 15-digit ID number, also to
> be kept in a giant federal database. The form of ID will most
> likely be a tag or microchip containing a Radio Frequency
> Identification Device, designed to be read from a distance. (Plan,
> p. 10; St., pp. 6, 12, 20, 27-28.) The plan may also include
> collecting the DNA of every animal and/or a retinal scan of every
> animal. (Plan, p.13.)
> The owner will be required to report: the birthdate of an animal,
> the application of every animal's ID tag, every time an animal
> leaves or enters the property, every time an animal loses a tag,
> every time a tag is replaced, the slaughter or death of an animal,
> or if any animal is missing. Such events must be reported within 24
> hours. (St., pp. 12-13, 17-21.) Third parties, such as
> veterinarians, will be required to report "sightings" of animals.
> (St., p. 25.) In other words, if you call a vet to your property to
> treat your horse, cow, or any other animal, and the vet finds any
> animal without the mandatory 15-digit computer-readable ID, the vet
> may be required to report you.
> If you do not comply, the USDA will exercise "enforcement" against
> you. (St., p. 7; Plan, p. 17.) The USDA has not yet specified the
> nature of "enforcement," but presumably it will include imposing
> fines and/or seizing your animals.
> There are no exceptions -- under the USDA plan, you will be forced
> to register and report even if you raise animals only for your own
> food or keep horses for draft or for transportation. The Negative
> Effects
> Eradication of Small Farms - People with just a few meat animals or
> 40-cow dairies are already living on the edge financially. The USDA
> plan will force many of them to give up farming.
> Loss of the True Security of Organic and Local Foods - The NAIS is
> touted by the USDA and agricorporations as a way to make our food
> supply "secure" against diseases or terrorism. However, most people
> instinctively understand that real food security comes from raising
> food yourself or buying from a local farmer you actually know. The
> USDA plan will only kill off more local sources of production and
> further promote the giant industrial methods which cause many food
> safety and disease problems.
>
>
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