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The Colorado State Fair Board is currently requiring children to register in NAIS in order to participate in the state fair. HB 1129 would have reversed that policy. HB 1129 passed the House and was assigned to the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. It died in committee on Monday, March 3.
Take Action
1) Start laying the groundwork for next session! Contact your Representative and Senator. If you do not know who your elected officials are, click here.
MESSAGE: We need to stop implementing NAIS in Colorado.
Ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues. Have a discussion. Ask them what they already know about NAIS, explain your objections to it, and respond to the issues they bring up. Stay in touch through email after the phone call, so that they know you really care about this issue.
2) Educate your community. Download materials from the site and put them out at feed stores, farmers markets, co-ops, riding stables, and anywhere else people gather. NAIS will directly impact every single person who owns animals. It will also impact all the animal-related businesses, rural communities and, ultimately, everyone who eats! We need to educate as many people as possible, so that the next bill succeeds!
Talking Points
- It is wrong to use our children to implement a controversial program opposed by many of their parents.
- NAIS is not a good program for Colorado, even beyond the issue of our children.
- NAIS will hurt Colorado's economy:
- There has been no analysis at federal or state level that establishes the costs or benefits of NAIS.
- 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 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 and the technology is flawed
- 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.
- NAIS unfairly attacks the rights of pet owners and those who raise animals as food for their family.
- USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Colorado to implement this program
- Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Colorado will not be disadvantaged by refusing to participate.
- Please support HB 1159
Members of Senate Agriculture Committee
- Status:
- No statute authorizing NAIS (to our knowledge). Premises registration is required by rule for "call regulatory functions."
- Grassroots activity:
- Individuals have been writing letters and calling their representatives, as well as speaking to local organizations. The local chapters of the Weston A Price Foundation have been active in this effort.
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