President Bush hasn't registered his Crawford ranch
An LA Times article this morning about NAIS. Click through here to read the full story.
Farmers fear a barnyard Big Brother
Nathan W. Armes / For The Times
CONTEST: Brandi Calderwood and her steer were disqualified at the Colorado State Fair because she had not registered in the ID program. “It’s just way too much Big Brother,” her mother said.
A federal database of animals to fight disease outbreaks is a threat to privacy and family operations, critics say.
WASHINGTON -- After days of parading around her beefy black steer in the dung-scented August heat at the Colorado State Fair, Brandi Calderwood made the final competition. For months, the 16-year-old worked from dawn well past dusk, fitting in the work around school, to feed, train and clean her steer. But just before the last round, when the animals are sold, fair officials disqualified her.They alleged that Brandi had not properly followed a new and controversial rule that required children to register their farms with a federal animal tracking system. After heated words, the Calderwoods were told to leave. A security guard trailed Brandi and her mother, even to the restroom.
A Bush administration initiative, the National Animal Identification System is meant to provide a modern tool for tracking disease outbreaks within 48 hours, whether natural or the work of a bioterrorist. Most farm animals, even exotic ones such as llamas, will eventually be registered. Information will be kept on every farm, ranch or stable. And databases will record every animal movement from birth to slaughterhouse, including trips to the vet and county fairs.
But the system is spawning a grass-roots revolt.
Read the rest of it here. And be sure to drop a thank you email to the author.
I read the whole article. It's an interesting article. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about this thing, the worse it sounds.