Action Alert
March 8, 2007
Call and Write Your Senator, Representative,
and
the Chairs of the Agriculture Committees
Missouri has five anti-NAIS bills in its legislature! HB 422, HB 478, HB 747, SB 428, and SB 538 would all bar or at least limit NAIS in Missouri.
Recommended Action:
- Call or write your Senator to support SB 428 when it comes to the floor
- Call or write your Representative to support HB 747
- Call or write the Speaker of the House and the Chairmen of the Ag Committees to support HB 747 and SB 428
Contact information, talking points and a sample letter are included at the end of the alert.
This action alert will discuss each of the 5 bills, and why we're recommending the actions listed above. The foundation for these bills was developed over the past year through numerous citizen-sponsored N.A.I.S. informational meetings around the state, talk radio programs and the Missouri legislature's 2006 non-binding resolutions opposing N.A.I.S. The message of "No N.A.I.S." in Missouri was sent loud and clear to the legislators. So far legislators are responding very well on a bi-partisan basis. It's time to reinforce this message with the Legislature.
H.B. 747: HB 747 is the most comprehensive of the anti-NAIS
bills in the House. It would prohibit Missouri's participation in
a federal N.A.I.S. and any similar program. H.B. 747 will not
interfere with voluntary value-added verification programs or current
state animal disease programs. The bill cancels any Cooperative
Agreement between Missouri and the USDA to implement
NAIS. Importantly, it also contains an anti-discrimination provision,
which protects people who choose not to participate in any
privately-run voluntary program. It provides a procedure for people to
withdraw if they have already been put in the premises database. You
can see the text at:
www.house.mo.gov/bills071/billpdf/intro/HB0747I.PDF
SB 428: SB 428 is identical to HB 747. It was approved by
the Senate Committee last week. We don't know when it will come
to the floor of the Senate, so it's important to tell your
Senator NOW that you want him or her to vote "yes" on SB
428.
www.senate.mo.gov/07info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=10742
SB 538: Identical to SB 428, but has not yet been set for a Committee hearing.
HB 422: HB 422 would block Missouri's participation
in a federal NAIS without the legislature specifically authorizing
it. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. Although we support
HB 422, we think that HB 747 is more comprehensive and the stronger
bill. You can see the text at:
www.house.mo.gov/bills071/billpdf/intro/HB0422I.PDF
HB 478: HB 478 was passed by the Agriculture Committee after
being amended to bar only a mandatory program, and allow a voluntary
program. You can see the original text at:
www.house.mo.gov/bills071/billpdf/intro/HB0478I.PDF
(the
amended version does not appear on the website yet). Again, we think
HB 747 is the better bill.
Action To Take: Contact your legislators and tell them, "Vote for HB 747 / SB 428 to end NAIS."
Making Calls and Writing Emails: Additional talking points and a sample email are provided below, after the contact information. Remember, always be polite. Be brief and to the point. Calls are the best approach! If you must use email, put "Vote for HB 747 / SB 428" in the subject line.
Key Contacts:
YOUR Representative and Senator. If you don't know who they
are, you can look them up at:
www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx
Also contact:
- Rep.Rod Jetton, Speaker of the House, (573) 751-5912
Rod.Jetton@house.mo.gov - Rep.John Quinn, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture
Policy, (573)751-2917
John.Quinn@house.mo.gov - Senator Dan Clemens, Chairman of the Committee Agriculture,
Conservation, Parks and Natural Resources, (573) 751-4008
dan_clemens@senate.mo.gov
Talking Points:
Begin with: "I want you to vote for HB 747 / SB 428 and stop NAIS in Missouri." Then you can talk about the reasons NAIS should be stopped and this bill should be heard:
NAIS will hurt Missouri's economy:
- There has been no cost analysis by USDA or Missouri Department of Agriculture.
- 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, created by the state agency and available to USDA, 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 Missouri to implement this program.
Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Missouri will not be disadvantaged by refusing to participate.
Sample email:
Subject line to Representatives: "Give HB 747 a hearing"
Subject line to Senators: "Vote Yes on SB 428"
Dear Representative ___________:
I want HB 747 to get a full hearing before the General Session. The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an issue of great importance to Missourians, and we expect our legislators to hold a full and fair hearing on the issue.
Dear Senator _______________:
I urge you to vote yes on SB 428, which would stop the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) from being implemented in Missouri.
For both:
I am a ____ (small farmer, consumer, taxpayer - tell them a sentence about yourself). I am opposed to NAIS because it will impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits. Neither the USDA nor the Missouri State Department of Agriculture has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control. NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. 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.
Again, I urge you to support HB 747 / SB 428.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Name
Address
City, State, Zip