NAIS Funding Cut!

The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee’s version of the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill eliminates funding for NAIS!! This is something we have urged for the last 3 years, and it’s finally happened! But the fight isn’t over – read why this happened, below.

Congresswoman DeLauro’s statement on the bill explains: “After receiving $142 million in funding since fiscal year 2004, APHIS has yet to put into operation an effective system that would provide needed animal health and livestock market benefits.” In other words, DeLauro, who supports a mandatory NAIS, cut funding because USDA has not been successful in implementing NAIS. And the key reason for USDA’s failure is that the farmers and animal owners of this country realize that NAIS is an unnecessary, expensive, and intrusive program. Thanks to the education efforts of organizations and activists across the country, the overwhelming majority of animal owners have rejected the program.

But we must redouble our efforts because the pro-NAIS entities will use this as an excuse to push for a mandatory NAIS in order to re-start the funding. DeLauro’s statement continues: “Until USDA finishes its listening sessions and provides details as to how it will implement an effective ID system, continued investments into the current NAIS are unwarranted.” The term “effective NAIS” has been used in recent Congressional hearings as essentially another word for a mandatory or coercive NAIS that forces most people to participate. So, while the cut in funding is a major victory, it is clear that DeLauro and other members of Congress still want a mandatory NAIS.

Download flyers here to put out at your local feed store, sales barn, or farmers market. Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper or regional magazine. Contact your Congressman. Keep up the fight!

Take Action #1
Go to a meeting!

Tuesday, June 16 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Route 66 Casino & Conference Center
14500 Central Avenue, SW
Map this location

Thursday, June 18 - Riverside, California

Mission Hotel
3649 Mission Inn Avenue
Map this location

Thursday, June 25 - Raleigh, North Carolina

Jane S. McKimmon Center
1101 Gorman Street
Map this location

Saturday, June 27 - Jasper, Florida

Hamilton County Extension
1143 NW US Hwy 41
Map this location

UNCONFIRMED – Nebraska, June 30 – a USDA official has stated that they are planning a meeting in Nebraska on June 30, but the agency has yet to formally announce or confirm this.

TIME: Registration starts at 8 a.m. The meeting is from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., although several meetings have ended early.

REGISTRATION is required:

1. Pre-register Online: Send an email to NAISSessions@aphis.usda.gov In the subject line of the e-mail, indicate your name (or organization name) and the location of the meeting you plan to attend. If you wish to present public comments, please include your name (or organization name) and address in the body of the message.

2. Pre-register by Phone: call 301-734-0799

3. Or, you can register the day of the meeting, starting at 8 a.m., at the meeting location.

Take Action #2
Submit written comments!

USDA’s website now indicates that it will accept written comments through August 3, 2009. But don’t wait! Submit comments now, before it slips your mind.

You can find sample comments here. Be sure to personalize them to have the greatest impact!

Submit comments ONLINE here.

1. Click on the yellow balloon under the "add comments" column.

2. Fill out the required fields and type in your comments. If your comments are more than a paragraph or so, we recommend that you first write them in a word document, and then copy & paste them into the comments field.

3. Click on "next step."

4. At the end of the process, you should receive a confirmation number.

or you can MAIL to:

Attn NAIS
Surveillance and Identification Programs
National Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS
4700 River Road Unit 200
Riverdale, MD 20737

Update from Listening Sessions
Four more meetings still to go!

The momentum is growing! Last week’s listening sessions in Missouri and South Dakota had a combined attendance of over 700 people! There are four more listening sessions scheduled. Our sources indicate there might be a fifth in Nebraska, around June 30th. Come to the meeting nearest you, and bring all your friends and neighbors!

Reports from recent Listening Sessions:

Check out this video on YouTube, which has clips from both the Missouri and South Dakota meetings!

Missouri Listening Session

More than 300 people attended the Missouri listening session. A report on CattleNetwork sums it up as follows: “[The listening session tour] has led to a general consensus, though. In a word or two NO NAIS! That was the label on several hundred people attending the listening session in Jefferson City, Missouri. It was the message pounded home again and again by every speaker except one. Defending NAIS was Dr. David Hobson of the USDA’s vet services. He said hello and ducked. His "hello" was a statement that "This session is to listen to you. We all play a role in food safety. To do that we need healthy animals. We need this program to identify diseased animals and eradicate disease." The crowd wasn’t buying it.

Click here for the full article.

South Dakota Listening Session

Over 400 people came to the listening session in South Dakota! The first speaker wanted to find out who the audience was and asked all opposed to NAIS to stand - nearly everyone stood. Then he asked who supported NAIS and only 5 people stood. Seventy-three people testified and only 2 of them supported the NAIS. Those supporting were the SD Pork Producers and SD Cattlemen. People opposing NAIS came from South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and Kansas.

A coalition of groups opposing NAIS held a press conference at noon. All of the speakers were producers, and it was moderated by Rep. Lance Russell, the State Representative who had sponsored a state anti-NAIS bill. The speakers were:
Donley Darnell, a rancher from WY representing Western Organization of Resource Councils
Kenny Fox, a rancher from SD representing R-CALF
Larry Nelson, a rancher from SD representing SD Stockgrowers
Tammy Basel, national chair of WIFE
Judy McCullough, Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming
Tom Connelly, a cattle buyer from SD representing US Cattlemen’s Association
Bob Johnson, a County Commissioner from Harding County, South Dakota
Mike Schultz, a feedlot owner representing Kansas Cattlemen Association.

Attendees wore bright orange stickers saying NO NAIS and eartags on their lapels saying NO NAIS, and more than 100 people held up poster-boards showing their brands. Press included 2 Rapid City TV stations; Rapid City Journal; SD Public Radio; KBHB, a regional ag radio station; and Tri-state Livestock News, a weekly regional ag paper reaching five states.