Congressional Hearings on NAIS

It's been a while since I wrote a post on NAIS (National Animal Identification System). That post Horse Owners Are You Aware of National Animal Identification System? 5 Reasons Why You Should Be! was back in April of 2007. Since then NAIS has been going along still under the radar but the situation is now urgent.

The projected date of total compliance by 2009 is right on track. Congressional hearings on NAIS are scheduled for Wednesday, March 11
with the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry . Bills to put NAIS into law, HR875 and companion Senate S814, are being pushed through Congress, as well as an Appropriations Bill with funding for NAIS. This hearing is critical to blocking mandatory NAIS.

So you don't know anything about NAIS. Well, here's an overview by Zanoni at Farmers’ Research Circle

USDA’s plan is to create a livestock tracking system in which
1. every property which keeps livestock, including horses, will have to register with the USDA
2. all livestock will have to receive individual identification in accord with government standards
3. all sales and movements of livestock will have to be reported for a fee to private, industry-controlled databases.

Large industrial farms, such as hog and broiler chicken farms, are exempt from requirements 2 and 3, individual animal ID and tracking reports.

This is content I received in an email from Lady of Chaos.

If you don't want the expense of registering your property and horses and getting permission everytime you want to show or trail ride your horse, then you need to be calling or emailing your politicians before March 11.

Here is a link to all senators, so start calling and emailing, this starts on March 11, lets flood them with emails and calls.How would they feel if every time they want to play golf, they would have to get permission! Big Brother is here!!
Senators Information
House of Representatives Information


Check out the credentials of the person who did the report at the Farmer's Research Circle. Check out my previous post and do some of your own checking on the internet. BUT do it quickly. Time is of the essence.

I don't know about you but the thought of having to report every time I move a horse off my property makes me nauseous. What a nightmare that would be for every training session, every lesson, every trail ride and every horse show etc. for each and every horse.

Now, I know that some think having to report every time you move a horse is ridiculous and couldn't possibly be part of this plan. And you would be RIGHT about the ridiculous part but WRONG about it not really being part of the NAIS plan.

This plan is geared toward ALL livestock, not just horses, and it is set-up to track animals to prevent the spread of disease. It is a typical example of government planning where they haven't totally thought out the impact on the entire industry. The only thing they see is the advantage it would give them in tracking things like Mad Cow.

But what about what it will do to our use of horses? Obviously they haven't thought about that. They've not considered what people actually do with their horses. Tracking each and every time a horse leaves its home can only curtail people's use of their horses.

Then don't forget about taxes! What will a system like this will cost? The tax burden of this system alone should be enough to get it stopped.........and yet, my senators weren't really aware of the issue at all. That in itself is pretty darn scary. Pushing this project through tagged onto some bill and they don't even know what they're voting on.........again, I am nauseous.

The time is NOW to act on NAIS! Sitting back and talking about it won't get it stopped. We've been doing that for years now and look where it's got us.........ready to see it passed into law any day now!

I've spoken with the senators from my state, Marie Cantwell and Patti Murray. I'm going to follow up with emails. I'm also going to send emails to the Representative to the House from my district (Dave Riechart). I've also sent emails out to my friends and I'm asking you all to do the same. If we don't DO something about this..............we're going to have to LIVE WITH IT!

Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY