A bit of Thanksgiving gravy from the USDA

Looks like two press releases and a new NAIS User Guide came out yesterday.

Knight Vows NAIS Will Never Become Mandatory from Brownfield Network
and

USDA Pledges Livestock ID Program To Remain Voluntary from Cattle Network

Then the New NAIS User Guide (pdf).

I have only read 14 of the 74 pages, so I can't give a detailed report about it yet. It does seem as though they have foisted the responsibility for it onto the States, there are many "assurances" that the information will be kept confidential because that's the Federal law (law, smaw, they are notorious for losing private information), and they don't define voluntary.

None the less, just understanding that we, the people, have made an impact which has caused USDA, Inc. to re-write their plans is worth the frustration. I sincerely doubt that when those boys sat down in the late 90s to write this scheme they ever imagined that they would ever have to rewrite things because some of we, the people, were awake enough to smell this rat.

To use the words of a good friend, " NAIS is actually about more than control of food, it’s control the land, control the food, control the people." Don't forget that. Ever.