Action Alert
September 27, 2007
Public Meetings to be held in New York about NAIS
The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets is holding three meetings in October about the National Animal Identification System and the New York Animal Health Information System (NYAHIS). The agency is promoting the meetings: "An overview of both programs will be provided, along with explanations of changes to the NAIS program, how a producer can become involved, reasons for an animal identification program and any questions or concerns producers may have."
Unless members of the audience speak up, the people attending these meetings will not hear about the problems with NAIS - they'll only hear the government propaganda. So it's important that people come and ask hard questions about the many problems with NAIS! At the bottom of this action alert are some ideas for questions you can ask the speakers, to point out the flaws in their plans.
The meetings will be held between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and will offer a light lunch as part of the program.
Thursday, October 18, 2007 - Best Western, Cobleskill
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - Holiday Inn, Oneonta
Thursday, October 25, 2007 - Best Western, Little Falls
RSVP is required for these meeting by October 8, 2007. RSVPs may be emailed to sarah.blood@agmkt.state.ny.us or called into 518-457-3502. The individual's first name, phone number and location attending will be required as well as the number attending in the party. (Note: These "requirements" are drawn from the agency's websites.)
See the NY Department of Agriculture's website for more information: www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AD/release.asp?ReleaseID=1644
As always, if you have any questions, email us at noah@libertyark.net
Below are some sample questions to ask pro-NAIS speakers. Pick questions based on what the speaker has said and what is most likely to resonate with the audience. Or take our Top 10 Myths, and use some of that information to challenge the claims the pro-NAIS speakers make. You can find materials to help you think of good questions at www.libertyark.net, on our Take Action page.
Has anyone quantified the costs of NAIS to the individual animal owner?
- Cost of radiotags when bought in small quantities or lots
- Costs of the scanners. If they say people won't need scanners, what about the costs that will be charged by people who will do the scanning for us?
- Fees for reports, since someone has to pay to maintain the database
- Computers, software, and internet access for filing reports. If they say you wouldn't need to use a computer, and could just file paper reports, then ask how they think they will get 48-hour traceback when people mail in hard copies and the bureaucrats then have to enter the reports into their computer system? We know they have not quantified these costs! Ask them how they can promote a program, and encourage people to enroll, when they don't know the costs yet!
- What about the fact that the radiotags and microchips recommended, called ISO tags, are designed to be easily reprogrammed. Can't anyone who wants to get around the system simply reprogram the chips? What about computer viruses? There is a study out of Europe that specifically fund that it was possible to infect an RFID, including RFIDs in pets, with a computer virus.
- If they claim that NAIS will provide premiums to producers: if it is a mandatory program, so that everyone has to tag and track, then there won't be any premiums, right? After all, why would the companies pay premiums for something we are all forced to do?
- Has anyone looked at the problems that have arisen in Australia due to tracking just cattle (not horses, chickens, etc)? The costs have risen to 12 times the original estimates ($37/head instead of $3/head) and the government bureaucracy has exploded. What analysis has been done of these problems?
- The idea of tracing back animals after a disease has already broken out doesn't seem to make much sense. Why doesn't the government first focus on programs that address the causes of disease and preventative measures? What about transmission of diseases through wild animals, which will not be part of NAIS? What about enforcing current programs, such as health certificates, before we implement new, more burdensome programs?
- If NAIS is a technology-neutral program, why have major technology companies been given seats on the working groups, while individuals and small farmers and ranchers have been unrepresented? How can it be called "technology-neutral" when the beef working group and the equine working group have both recommended the use of ISO microchips and radiotags? How come the USDA has approved eight electronic tags for the program, and NO non-electronic tags?
- If this is already a federal mandate, then why have bills to authorize the program been sitting in committee for over a year? Congress has chosen not to adopt a statute that would specifically authorize this program.