Action Alert
February 6, 2007
Ask the Committee to Support SD 1472!
The new Joint Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and the Environment has been appointed in Massachusetts. Now would be a good time to let them know your feelings on NAIS in Massachusetts!
There are two bills before the Committee that address NAIS. House Docket (HD) 1324 forbids the MDAR from accepting federal funds for NAIS in 2007, requires MDAR to stop uploading data to the federal database, and seeks removal for people who were involuntarily enrolled. Senate Docket 1472, "An Act Relative to Farm Protection," includes all of those provisions and adds important protections. SD 1472 precludes MDAR from using other existing programs, such as Scrapie, as a means to implement NAIS. This provision is important because Agriculture Departments in other states have already used programs, such as the tuberculosis program, to establish NAIS. The agency can still continue its existing programs, and the Legislature can always decide to provide for a new disease-control program. SD 1472 merely stops the agency from establishing a premises registration or animal identification program without legislative authorization.
SD 1472 also prohibits any person, whether private or governmental, from discriminating against people who do not participate in NAIS or programs like it. This means that anyone who chooses not to be part of the program will be able to buy feed, sell at auction, use slaughterhouses, go to shows and fairs, and everything else we do now, without any pressure to sign up for NAIS. SD 1472 addresses the needs of all those who own livestock in MA, regardless of scale, species or use.
Please contact all the members of the Joint Committee! Because this is a joint committee, there will be only one hearing, so your participation now is extra important!! Below you will find the names of the committee members and their contact information. A phone call is best, or a hard copy letter. A sample letter is included after the contact information.
While you're contacting the Committee, be sure to include a very big "Thank you!" in your call or letter to Senator Brewer, who introduced SD 1472, and to Representative Gobi, who introduced HD 1324.
Please also contact your Representative and Senator about SD 1472. If you do not know who your legislators are, go to:
www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php
We need all of the legislators to know about NAIS and how their constituents feel it!
If you have any questions about SD 1472, please contact Pat Stewart, Massachusetts SmallHolders Alliance, at Farm@hamesaxle.com> or 978-827-1305.
GET YOUR FRIENDS TO SIGN UP TO SUPPORT LIBERTY ARK'S FIGHT AGAINST NAIS. SEND THEM THIS LINK: http://libertyark.net/pledge.dyn
Email address for Senators: firstname.lastname@state.ma.us (ex: Pamela.Resor@state.ma.us)
Email address for Representatives: Rep.FirstNameLastName@hou.state.ma.us (ex: Rep.FrankSmizik@Hou.State.MA.US)
Mailing address for Senators: Name, Room Number, State House, Boston, MA 02133
Mailing address for Representatives: Name, Room Number, State House, Boston, MA 02133
Senators on the Committee: Room, Phone Number
Pamela P Resor, Chair: Rm 410, 617-722-1120
Marc R. Pacheco, Vice-Chair: Rm 312B, 617-722-1551
Stephen M. Brewer: Rm 216, 617-722-1540
Robert S. Creedon, Jr.: Rm 413C, 617-722-1200
Robert Aiden O'Leary: Rm 416A, 617-722-1570
Bruce Tarr: Rm 313A, 617-722-1600
Representatives on the Committee: Room, Phone Number
Frank I. Smizik, Chair: Rm 473F, 617-722-2210
Peter V. Kocot, Vice Chair: Rm 473F, 617-722-2210
William N. Brownsberger: Rm 437, 617-722-2425
Lewis G. Evangelidis: Rm 473B, 617-722-2263
Susan W. Gifford: Rm 540, 617-722-2090
Anne M. Gobi: Rm 146, 617-722-2575
Denis E. Guyer: Rm 134, 617-722-2400
Michael Moran: Rm 443, 617-722-2460
Sarah Peake: Rm 437, 617-722-2425
Douglas W. Petersen: Rm 236, 617-722-2637
Martin J. Walsh: Rm 540, 617-722-2090
Dear Representative (or Senator) _______:
I am a _________ (small farmer, consumer of local foods, horse owner, taxpayer. Tell them a little bit about yourself and why you care about this issue). I am writing to ask that you support SD 1472, which would prevent the establishment of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in Massachusetts.
If it is made mandatory, NAIS would require that every person who owns even one chicken, horse, cow, sheep, goat, pig, or other livestock animal:
- Register their premises in a federal database;
- Identify each animal with an internationally unique 15-digit number when they are moved from their herd of origin or commingled with other animals. For many species, the identification would be electronic. Factory farms will be able to use "group numbers," but most small farmers and pet owners will not qualify.
- Track their animals: The owner must report, within 24 hours, events such as tagging the animal, death or slaughter, public and private sales, and regional shows.
I am opposed to NAIS because it will impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits. NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. Neither the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control. Neither agency has done a cost-benefit analysis of the program, either. There are many more effective, less expensive, and less intrusive methods for improving animal health and addressing animal disease.
NAIS will drive many small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business and discourage people from owning horses and other livestock as pets, resulting in far-reaching effects on our economy. The only winners in this program are the microchip manufacturers, the associations that will manage the databases, and the government employees. If the federal government ultimately decides to implement NAIS, it can do so - our state should not.
Please support SD 1472 when it comes before your Committee. This bill would:
- stop the MDAR from accepting federal funds in 2007 to implement NAIS;
- stop the uploading of data on Massachusetts residents into the federal database;
- allow for the removal of data on those people who have been involuntarily enrolled;
- preclude MDAR from using other existing programs as a means to implement NAIS, while still allowing the state to continue existing programs and implement new disease-specific programs as needed; and
- prohibits any person, whether private or governmental, from discriminating against people who do not participate in NAIS or programs like it. SD 1472 is critical to protecting our rights, the health of our animals, and the health of our economy.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Name Address City, State, Zip Email if you have it