Know what this means?

It means that APHIS is laying all the groundwork to make RFID cattle tags MANDATORY for the existing TB testing and brucellosis vaccination programs. NOW is the time to fight NAIS, or it will be shoved down your maw before you know it.

USDA/APHIS/NIAA are like that zombie monster in a nightmare that keeps going forward without regard to anything in its path. "No" doesn't mean a thing to them.

Animal ID: USDA Reviewing Proposals For The Production Of Ear Tags Compliant With NAIS

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reviewing several proposals for the production and delivery of 1.5 million radio frequency ear tags that are compliant with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) standards. These ear tags will be used to uniquely identify U.S. livestock that are part of current animal disease programs, in particular within geographic regions where bovine tuberculosis testing and the brucellosis calfhood vaccination program are most active.

“Using these animal identification number tags with radio frequency ID technology enhances the accuracy of animal identification and increases the program administration efficiencies,” said Bruce Knight, undersecretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs. “Most importantly, it puts us a step closer to our goal of rapid traceback when an animal disease outbreak occurs.”

Individual animal identification is important to NAIS’ efforts to provide rapid response and containment in the event of an animal disease event. By quickly identifying involved animals, the impact of the outbreak on neighboring herds and premises can be limited--and disease spread could even be stopped before it reaches those animals.

NAIS is a modern, streamlined information system that helps producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks or animal health events in the United States. NAIS utilizes premises registration, animal identification and animal tracing components to both locate potentially diseased animals and eliminate animals from disease suspicion. It is a state-federal-industry partnership, which is voluntary at the federal level. For more information on NAIS, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/nais.

Source: Aphis

National Animal Identification System - Part 1

Finally, NAIS on YouTube!

National Animal Identification System - Part 2

This is Part 2.

Texas County (Missouri) Farm Bureau Expels Member Over NAIS

Outspoken Farm Bureau Member gets the Axe over NAIS!

For immediate release; contact information; Bob Parker Bob@bakerealty.com

Texas County Farm Bureau Expels member over NAIS

In Houston, Missouri the debate over The National Animal Identification System rages on. Tuesday, August 14th, 2007, the board met with about half of the board members present. Board member Gerald Campbell, also past President of Texas County Cattlemen's Association and also a director from District 3 of the Missouri Beef Industry Council Board of Directors, made a motion to remove longtime Texas County Board member Bob Parker because of his outspoken opposition to the NAIS program.

Mr. Campbell, whose wife Nancy works for Farm Bureau, stated that Bob Parker had attacked Missouri Farm Bureau and needed to be removed from the board. Mr. Campbell also stated that he had attended the Property Rights Congress Meeting in Cabool a few days ago and stated that PRC president Russell Wood, speaker Doreen Hannes, and speaker Ray Cunio, and Bob Parker had all attacked Missouri Farm Bureau for their promotion of NAIS. Mr. Campbell's motion was seconded by Gus Adams, his wife Betty Adams is also Vice President of the Property Rights Congress Chapter and both voted for Mr. Parker's removal.

Mr. Parker repeatedly asked specifically why the board was seeking to remove him. He was told by Mr. Campbell and Texas County FB President Don Luersson that because of his open attack upon Farm Bureau that they wanted him removed. Betty Adams charged that Mr. Parker had personally attacked Gerald Campbell at the PRC meeting by exposing how he voted on a resolution supporting Mandatory NAIS. Mr. Parker stated that he believed the votes of the Texas County Farm Bureau board should be open to it's members and the public. Mr. Campbell was invited to sit on a panel discussion on NAIS at the PRC meeting but after a 10 minute opening statement Mr. Campbell refused to answer any questions about NAIS or explain his statements. He stated that he had to leave for a granddaughters birthday party and left the panel only to take a seat in the back of the meeting hall.

Mr. Parker asked the board several times specifically what the charges were against him and also stated that the by-laws of Texas County Farm Bureau did not provide for removing a member in this way. President Don Luersson agreed but said they were going to do it anyway. No specific charges were ever given.

Mr. Parker said he would be glad to respond to any specific charges and would gladly show anyone why he has been very vocal about his opposition to what the leadership of MOFB has done, citing specifically a July 2005 letter where MOFB President Charles Kruse told the USDA that Missouri Farm Bureau supported NAIS and that the full program should ultimately be Mandatory. Mr. Parker continues to contend that MOFB grassroots members have never said that in their policy. Mr. Parker believes that the leadership in MOFB has been in full support of a mandatory program in the past and doesn't trust the leadership anymore.

Mr. Parker states ''I have pointed out what the leadership of MOFB has done, and they are continuing to cover up how this ''voluntary'' program will become ultimately Mandatory! Did you know that most marketing programs and all animal health programs are requiring a NAIS premise number? How will that be ''voluntary''? Why doesn't MOFB point that out to their members? Why is no opposition to NAIS ever invited to speak to the resolutions committee's? I could go on and on. Why did Mr. Kruse stop a meeting in Springfield when I asked about his letter? He doesn't want you to know about it, they had to get me out, this information is starting to cost them a lot of money, and members.''

I have repeatedly asked leadership in MOFB to tell the members the facts about NAIS. They have flatly refused. This is too huge of an issue to ignore, I firmly believe that if NAIS is fully implemented it will wipe out most small farmers, this is for 29 species, not just cattle!'' Mr. Parker continues, ''when I told Mr. Campbell last year about how small farmers would not do all the work that these regulations would impose he told me that we don't need all those small producers anyway, he said and I quote, 'what good are they doing for the industry?' He also voted that NAIS should be Mandatory when our board voted on it Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 by voting against it. The resolution stated; Be it hereby resolved that the Texas County Farm Bureau Board Does hereby reject the current proposal by USDA to make mandatory the implementation of the National Animal Identification System.

I think that FB members should know what their leaders really think about NAIS and I also believe that Cattlemen should know what their Missouri Beef Council leaders are saying and doing.''

The majority vote was in favor of removing Mr. Parker immediately from the board. Two members, Dan Kyle and Robert Rouse voted against the motion. Mr. Parker goes on '' I have tried to expose Farm Bureau leadership for what they have done. It comes as no surprise that this happened, I could never explain the details of what has happened to my board because of constantly being attacked by Gerald Campbell and President Don luersson at the meetings. Missouri Farm Bureau's membership is off about 10% in many areas in the State due to members learning about what Farm Bureau has done. They are very upset over that.

Mr. Parker ''I have never told anyone to leave MoFB. I have tried to work to change the organization for the better. I believe in the grassroots structure but the leadership controls all the information thatthe members get. Farm Bureau has never printed anything about why so many oppose this NAIS program. Now I strongly encourage every member to drop Farm Bureau! Drop your membership! Drop your insurance! Drop your support, and send a strong message to MOFB that this leadership must be changed before you support this organization any more''.

''I thought one of the founding principals of our country was freedom of speech, not in Farm Bureau, not anymore. You can be a grassroots member, as long as you don't expose leadership. I guess the facts speak for themselves. Don't be fooled by the new rhetoric from the leadership of Missouri Farm Bureau saying they oppose mandatory NAIS, they know that very soon NAIS will be involved in so many programs we will never keep it ''Voluntary'', regardless of their ''policy''. The days of Free Farmers will soon be over, sold out by the very people we trusted''.

For immediate release;
contact information; Bob Parker Bob@bakerealty.com

Sounding the alarm again. Will you heed it?

Please start paying attention to what is going on in the government and internationally. If is of the utmost importance. You cannot remain asleep. Your very life as a citizen in the United States depends on. And the lives of your children, their children, your great grandchildren, etc.

Three NAIS pieces in today's news

The most important one I should think.

GAO Finds Problems in Animal ID Implementation
From Prairie Farmer

The Government Accountability Office released a report Thursday identifying weaknesses in USDA's plan to implement a national animal identification system.

The report identified the following problems that could undermine USDA's ability to use the system to trace an outbreak to its source, as reported in a release from Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, ahead of the official GAO release on its Web site:

• Tracing animals from their original origin will be problematic given that USDA is not requiring critical information, such as the type of animal species, date of birth, or approximate age of animals to be recorded in the animal ID system.
  
• USDA has not prioritized the implementation of the animal ID system according to economic value of the species or those most at risk for specific animal diseases.
  
• USDA has not developed a plan to integrate the animal ID system with preexisting animal disease eradication programs for hogs, cattle, sheep or goats, thus duplicating effort and cost to producers.
  
• USDA has awarded 169 animal ID cooperative agreements totaling $35 million but has failed to adequately monitor the agreements or determine if the intended outcomes, for which the funds were used, were achieved. USDA has also not consistently shared the results of the agreements with state departments of agriculture, industry groups, or other stakeholders to allow them to learn from experience under the cooperative agreements.
  
• The timeframe for effective animal disease traceback from where animals have been raised is not clearly defined for specific species.
  
• USDA has no benchmarks to determine if there is sufficient participation to achieve an effective animal ID system.

It is about time that someone in Congress took a look at what USDA is doing. We can only hope that something good will come of this...like the dismantling of USDA or NAIS at the very least.

Next is from Dairy Herd Management.

IDAIRY receives grant to further premises registration efforts
By Dairy Herd news source (Thursday, August 02, 2007)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) will receive a grant of up to $1 million intended to register dairy premises under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NMPF will use the money to work with its IDairy coalition partners to further the registration effort.

Since IDairy was established in 2005, over 30,000 dairy producers have registered their premises under the NAIS, but as many as 35,000 commercial dairy operations are not yet registered. IDairy’s goal is to have 100 percent of the operations registered in order to enable animal health officials to quickly respond to an animal health emergency.

“This agreement is another important step forward as we advance the National Animal Identification System," said Bruce Knight, under secretary for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs. "It builds on agreements previously announced with the National Pork Board, the National FFA Organization and the U.S. Animal Identification Organization to promote animal health by providing producers with the information they need to take the important step of registering their premises and protecting their animals."

Read the rest of it here.

Another million dollars? Where do they get their money? It is just simply unbelievable.

And finally from Colorado.

Members of County Fair Board Say CSU Plan Is Unfair

The county commissioners don’t like the mandate requiring Colorado’s 4-H and FFA youth to obtain premises identification in order to show their animals at county and state fairs.

During their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 31, Suzie Coleman, Rhoda Reid and Jack Canterbury of the local fair board asked the commissioners to consider signing a resolution opposing mandatory premises ID for 4-H and FFA youth.

In short, premises ID registration lists the name and address of the ranch where the animal is being raised, and the ranch owner.

Beginning in October, cooperative extension officials with Colorado State University will require all Colorado 4-H and FFA youth to have a premises identification.

Premises identification is the first step toward a national animal identification system being considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for livestock, in order to trace and track the livestock to protect against disease.

So far, premises identification registration is voluntary for state ranchers, however, CSU officials have decided to make it compulsory for 4-H and FFA participants.

“If it’s voluntary for ranchers, it should be voluntary for our youth,” said Canterbury.

Read the rest of it here.

All I have to say about that is remember Hitler's Youth Brigade.

Who is the marketing agency for the USDA anyway?

You've just got to read this article in this month's Cooperative Living magazine put out by Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives with a circulation of 350,000.

"I have been following with interest and much dismay the dialogue regarding the anti-animal-identification-system movement in Virginia and some areas of this great country.

If you believe the naysayers, this is all some grand conspiracy of the federal government to snoop into our business or figure out a way to tax us more. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Read the rest of it here. Food For Thought