Action Alert
February 12, 2007
Forwarded from Senator Karen Johnson in Arizona:
Another thank you to all of you who have written in opposition to the National Animal ID System. I appreciate your support of my bill - SB1428 - which would reject the registration in Arizona.
I've received email messages from about 15 people who oppose NAIS. Most of the people who wrote have been raising goats. I can tell you people have a good communication network - you must be informing each other about the bill! That's great! I wonder if you also have contacts with others who raise cattle, horses, sheep, etc? Also, those whose children are involved in 4-H? I hope they are also aware of this bill. Please spread the word if you know of others.
The hearing on SB1428 will be:
Wednesday, February 14
1:30 p.m.
Arizona Senate - 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Senate Hearing Room 109
This is the first bill on the agenda, so it will probably be heard very close to 1:30. I'm hoping that as many people as possible can come to the hearing and that some of you will be willing to testify. People sometimes get nervous about "testimony," but it's actually very casual. The committee members are kind. Here are some basic guidelines:
- Keep it short - 3 to 5 minutes.
- State the facts - why the NAIS would hurt you, what's wrong with it, etc.
- Don't quote the constitution (everyone thinks that's impressive, but it just irritates the legislators and takes up valuable time).
A large turnout of people from all over the state will go a long way toward garnering support for this bill. Most legislators are completely unaware of NAIS and its impact on small farmers and ranchers. If you have any questions, please feel free to call my office. My assistant will help you in every way she can.
Thanks for all your help!
Kind regards,
Senator Karen S. Johnson
kjohnson@azleg.gov
602-926-3160
From Liberty Ark:
Below are some suggestions for talking points for your
testimony. Focus on just one or two points, including how NAIS will
affect YOU. If you can't make it to the hearing, please call your
legislator and the members of the committee now. If you don't
know who your legislators are, go to:
http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp
Information on the Committee hearing is at:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/agendas/0214011185%2Edoc%2Ehtm
and you can read the bill at:
http://azleg.gov/legtext/48leg/1r/bills/sb1428p.htm
Below are the members of the Committee, their email, phone number and fax number. The area code is 602. Please be sure to thank Senator Johnson for sponsoring this legislation!
Senator Aguirre: aaguirre@azleg.gov, phone: 926-4139, fax: 417-3024
Senator Arzberger: marzberger@azleg.gov, phone: 926-4321, fax: 417-3146
Senator Blendu: rblendu@azleg.gov, phone: 926-5955, fax: 417-3168
Senator Johnson: kjohnson@azleg.gov, phone: 926-3160, fax: 926-3429
Senator Landrum Taylor: llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov, phone: 926-3830, fax: 417-3245
Senator Chuck Gray: cgray@azleg.gov, phone: 926-5288, fax: 417-3161
Senator Flake: jflake@azleg.gov, phone: 926-5219, fax: 417-3224
Talking points for testimony or calls
NAIS will hurt Arizona's economy:
- There has been no cost analysis
- Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
- Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
- Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
- Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods
Neither the USDA nor the state agency has scientific proof show that NAIS will improve disease control:
- It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
- It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program
NAIS will not improve food safety
- USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
- Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.
NAIS will not protect against terrorism
- The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
- The database of information held by the government and private industry will provide a target for hackers.
NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.
USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Arizona to implement this program