Action Alert
January 18, 2007
Immediate Action Needed in Texas
Representative Bryan Hughes has introduced HB 637 to stop the Texas Animal Health Commission from making NAIS mandatory! Remember, at this time, the TAHC has the authority to make NAIS mandatory whenever it wishes.
In addition to removing that authority, HB 637 contains several key protections:
- full disclosure and informed consent before anyone can be enrolled;
- the right to withdraw at any time and have one's information deleted;
- a bar on conditioning any services, benefits, licenses, payments or permits on participating. In other words, no carrots or sticks may be used to get people to participate.
Call or write your Representative and Senator TODAY to urge him or her to co-sponsor HB 637! If you are not sure who your legislators are, go to: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
Copy your letter to Representative Hughes at his online form
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=5&rep=bryan.hughes
to thank him for taking this step. A sample letter is included at the
end of this alert. Remember that the bill can be amended, so if you
want to see additional protections included, mention them in your
letter. And be sure to personalize the letter for the greatest impact!
The members of the Agriculture Committee have not yet been appointed. Once the Committee is appointed, we will send an alert out with the members' contact information.
You can find additional information about NAIS, including materials
you can use when talking to your legislators, on our website,
www.farmandranchfreedom.org.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at
info@farmandranchfreedom.org
or 866-687-6452.
Dear ______________:
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 HB 637, which would limit the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to a truly voluntary program in Texas.
You may have seen news reports that USDA made the NAIS voluntary. However, USDA's goal is still 100% participation by 2009. USDA is pressuring states to achieve this goal by conditioning federal funding on reaching "measurable goals," which creates incentives for states to implement mandatory or coercive programs. The Texas Animal Health Commission is eligible for $1.2 million in federal funding for this next year, subject to a 20% cost share, creating a significant risk that TAHC may use non-voluntary means to meet the USDA's goals.
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. For many species, the identification will be electronic.
- 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.
NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. NAIS will impose heavy burdens on livestock owners, driving many small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business and discouraging people from owning horses and other livestock as pets. This in turn will drive related businesses, such as feed stores, slaughterhouses, and auction barns, out of business. The economic effects will be wide-reaching. Despite spending over $84 million dollars on NAIS since 2004, the USDA has not done a cost/benefit analysis of NAIS nor has the TAHC.
Neither the USDA nor the TAHC has produced any scientific basis for the disease-control claims. Existing programs and systems, such as the scrapie program, branding, and metal tagging, have been sufficient to track disease. If anything, NAIS will increase disease threats because it will criminalize ownership of livestock without registration, and lead to black market livestock ownership and sales. Disease programs must be designed for each specific disease and animal. A one-size-fits-all program is useless.
NAIS will not increase the safety of our food supply. Most food-borne illnesses are from contamination at slaughterhouses or in food handling and preparation. NAIS tracking ends at the time of slaughter, so it will not address these issues or increase our ability to trace contaminated meats once they are in the food supply chain.
By driving small farmers out of existence, NAIS will increase the consolidation of our food supply into a small number of large companies, destroying consumers' food purchasing options. Small, local farmers provide protection against mass contamination of food or disruptions in supply due to natural disasters. Also, reduction in competition inevitably increases prices. The only winners in this program are the microchip manufacturers, the associations that will manage the databases, and the government employees.
I ask that you support HB 637. This bill would remove the TAHC's authority to make NAIS mandatory and provide important safeguards to ensure that the program remains truly voluntary: full disclosure before enrolling, the right to withdraw from the program, and a bar on conditioning any services or benefits on participation in NAIS. This bill is critical to protecting the rights of Texans, the health of our animals, and the health of our economy.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, State Zip code
Email if you have it