August 20, 2008 

  realized that after I posted yesterdays blog, that even if you want to oppose the NAIS laws, you may not know how to go about it.

If you’re not sure who your Representative is, go to www.congress.org or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121

Ask to speak to the agricultural staffer.  If you get voice mail, leave a message.

MESSAGE:  “I am a constituent and wanted to talk with you about the National Animal Identification System.  My name is _____, and my number is ______.    Please oppose any bill that would make NAIS mandatory at the federal level.  And please call me back to let me know the Congressman’s position on NAIS.”

If you talk with the staffer directly, have a conversation with them.  Ask them the Congressman’s position on NAIS, and try to address the reasons they may support NAIS or why they’re on the fence.  Give them personal stories about how NAIS will impact you and your community, along with solid facts about the flaws with NAIS (You will have to do a little homework).  Food safety is a big issue in Congress right now, so be sure you say that NAIS is not about food safety and there are better ways to protect our food supply.   There are organizations which can help provide follow-up information to address these issues.  Email the Liberty Ark Coalition at libertyark@freedom.org or call the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance at 866-687-6452.

Talking Points

• NAIS would  not improve food safety
  • USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
  • Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.
• NAIS would hurt the agricultural economy which already has suffering families:
  • There has been no analysis at federal or state level that establishes the costs or benefits of NAIS.
  • Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
  • Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
  • Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
  • Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods
• The USDA has not provided any scientific proof that NAIS would improve disease control:
  • It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
  • It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
• NAIS is not necessary for the market.  Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program
• NAIS would not protect against terrorism and the technology is flawed
  • The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
  • The database of information, created by the state agency and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers.
• NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.
• NAIS unfairly attacks the rights of pet owners and those who raise animals as food for their family.
• Three states – Arizona, Kentucky, and Nebraska – have now rejected a mandatory NAIS.