February 7, 2007

Today I am being political again. Mostly as someone requested me to get the word out again. With up to 2,000 people reading my blogs each day on average, we thought even if those 2,000 people told 2 other people, and those 2 people told 2 other people, we can get the word out there again. I know I have had a blog about this topic in the past here and there, but it is very important as if all of the laws go through, we will loose much of what homesteading is about.

There are alot of animal bills and laws quietly going on right now. Some have been brain-stormed years ago and in many people's opinions, including my own, it is a full scale attack on small producers by large corporations to make a monopoly on animal agriculture. I pick on Monsanto alot, though there are a couple others doing the same thing. Monsanto has over the years, effectively cornered the agricultural chemical and seed markets.

NAIS - The NAIS was the creation of The National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA) which is a group of businessmen such as the chemical company Monsanto, the National Pork Producers and Cargill Meat, to develop a mandatory "National Animal Identification System" ("NAIS"). These guys are all corporations who stand to profit from the NAIS.

  In essence the NAIS means that every person who owns even one horse, cow, pig, chicken, sheep, pigeon or virtually any livestock animal, even as a pet, will be forced to register their home, including owner's name, address, and telephone number and keyed Global Positioning System coordinates for satellite monitoring, in a giant federal database under a 7-digit "premises ID number. The animals will be required to have a radio transmitting tag on them at all times. In further 'phases to be implemented' in the NAIS program, they may also require each animal's DNA sample as well as retinal print of the animals eye. The NAIS will have the right to trespass on your private property as they feel the whim. We, the people will have to foot the expenses for NAIS out of our pocket as well as out of our taxes. Small family farms and organic farmers will be driven out of business by the costs of premises registration fees, individual animal ID fees, event reporting fees, electronic tags or chips, electronic readers, home computers, Internet access, phone service, and reporting software. According to the USDA's plan all of these costs will be born by the animal owners.

 The only people to profit from this are the people who put this law into being, the rest of us as well as the animals will not. Large scale corporations who helped make the NAIS  has exempted itself from individual identification. These producers will be allowed to use one ID number for groups of hundreds or even thousands of animals that are raised and processed together. When the NAIS is implemented by the US government, it will then be returned to the private sector to run..  Read the list below and place your bets on which one of the NIAA members will score that contract.

NIAA -  The NIAA is the "National Institute for Animal Agriculture" and they were the group who came up with the idea of the "National Animal Identification System" before they turned it over to the US Government to use our taxpaying dollars to turn it into a law, which these guys convieniently wrote a loophole in for themselves that they do not have to comply.

Below are some of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture Members and what is in it for them. I do not see any small ranchers or farms on the list, do you? They are all huge Agri-businesses.

AgInfoLink USA, Inc. - (Makes computer programs for the NAIS system -TRACING)
Allflex USA, Inc. (TAG COMPANY)
APC, Inc. (BLOOD PRODUCTS TO FEED TO LIVESTOCK)
Babcock Genetics, Inc. (SWINE GENETICS)
BioRad Laboratories (Food | Animal | Environment Testing)
Bock's Cattle-Identi Company, Inc. (TRACING)
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.
Cargill Meat Solutions (MEAT PRODUCER and exempt from this law)
Clarkston Consulting
Digital Angel & Electronic ID, Inc. (TRACING)
Elanco Animal Health
eMerge Interactive, Inc.(Makes computer programs for the NAIS system -TRACING)
EZ-ID / AVID ID Systems (TRACING)
Farms.com & PigChamp, Inc.Makes computer programs for the NAIS system -TRACING)
Farnam Companies, Inc. (TAGS AND ID)
GlobalVetLink L.C.
Hawkeye Steel Products, Inc. (ANIMAL EQUIPMENT)
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(LABRATORY)
IMI Global, Inc. (TAGS)
Intervet, Inc.  (DRUG COMPANY)
Iowa Select Farms (Iowa's largest pork producing company and IN THE top ten producers of market hogs.)
Ketchum Manufacturing, Inc. (ANIMAL ID AND PROCESSING)
Livestock Marketing Association  (LOBBYISTS)
Maxwell Foods
MetaFarms, Inc. (management software (ERP) for animal NAIS)
Micro Beef Technologies, Ltd. Makes computer programs for the NAIS system -TRACING)
Monsanto Company  (DRUG & CHEMICAL & HUMAN DNA HOGS/CHICKENS COMPANY)
Murphy-Brown LLC (AKA SMITHFIELD FOODS
National Band and Tag Company (TRACING - WHERE I USED TO GET TAGS)
National Pork Board (LOBBYISTS)
National Pork Producers Council  (LOBBYISTS)
National Renderers Association  (LOBBYISTS)
Optibrand Ltd., LLC (Livestock Identification and Universal Data Collection)
Pfizer Animal Health, Inc.  (DRUG COMPANY)
PIC USA (BOAR SEMEN WITH A range of PICmarqT DNA markers )
Premier 1 Sheep Supplies, Ltd.(TAGS AND ID)
Propig.com (GENETICS
RMS Research Management Systems, USA, Inc. Makes programs for the NAIS system -TRACING)
Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation (DRUG COMPANY)
Science Applications International Corporation
Temple Tag, Ltd. (TRACING)
VeriPrime Inc.( VeriPrime is a federation of cooperatives)
Viral Antigens, Inc..(VIRAL ANTIGENS )
Vitalia Inc (management software (ERP) for animal NAIS)
Y-TEX Corporation (LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION)

NASS - When the NAIS seemingly took a step back last month and many people were dancing in the streets about its demise.. many of us were extremely suspicious. NIAA and NAIS had too much invested, time, money and planning to roll over and let this die.  The "National Agricultural Statistics Service" forms started to come out in the mail to many people on the heels of the 'step back' of the NAIS.

"A survey was sent to you because one or more list sources appeared to indicate that you might have some involvement in agriculture", is how the NASS said they got your name to send you a form. They further state "Agricultural Identification Survey forms were mailed on January 2, and follow-up forms will be mailed to non-respondents beginning February 14. The Census, meanwhile, will cover the 2007 calendar year, with forms being mailed out the last week of December."

My father used to have to fill out these agricultural forms for his vineyard. I do not remember these forms being so invasive, nor asking the name, address and phone numbers of whom else was using your land. I asked for someone in the States to send me a copy of their form and I was sent it a few days ago. I do not like what is apparently required by law to fill out. My dad filled out these forms voluntarily, but now it is apparently a law which requires you to. Many people are refusing to fill in the forms and send them back in. I am waiting to see what will happen.

Animal Terrorism Bill - This bill is an interesting one and on the desk of the president. I need to study further in depth on it, but on the surface it looks like it is against the people who go in an bomb animal research centers and the like. However, there is already laws in place against doing this kind of damage.. threat, vandalism, and bodily injury,. I am wondering if just below the surface, it is setting up laws to protect huge Agri-Biz in the future when they are the only ones able to grow livestock at all.. and by the thousands in confined spaces.

White List - There are also rumors about a "White List" which I have not found alot of information on, but I think we should keep our eyes and ears open anyway. With the other stuff happening which sounds rather Science Fiction, but in truth it is fact, I can see this happening as well. The "White List" is a proposed law to ban the import, movement and cultivation of over 99 percent of the world's plant species. Backed by corporate herbicide manufacturers and the Exotic Pest Plant Councils, the new law will ban any plant not on the government-approved "White List." All species will be considered guilty until proven innocent. This means all of our heirloom vegetables and flowers which we have been raising for many, if not 100 years. Do you have 5 years time and several thousands of dollars to get Granny's Special Pole bean certified? If not.. it may soon be illegal to save seed and grow it. Ridiculous, hey? In places around the world, there was something like 80% of their landrace heirlooms lost within the first couple years.

I was talking to a net friend today and last night, about all of the above and suggested that she read "1984" if she never had before.. I think it has alot of bearing on what is going on. If you have never read it, take the time to read it. It was written in 1949.

What you can do?? Check out the No-NAIS site.  Contact your State Representatives and Senators, and write them about your concerns.  Talk to people, join your NO-Nais State sites. Get involved!! Write about it on your blog or link to mine on December 2nd, 2006.