The National Animal Identification System, planned by USDA
for many years, is now the most serious issue in history for
livestock producers. The soon to be mandatory procedures
require cattle, horses, llamas, and all animals to have an
identification number placed in the ear, or some species may
have a computer chip injected under the skin.
The USDA has been presenting this massive undertaking at
special listening sessions in nearly every county in the USA.
Livestock producers are being encouraged to sign up their
ranches, fair grounds, auctions, dairies, farms, and even back
yard 4-H projects, or face fines up to $1000 for non compliance.
The USDA web site is
www.animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml. Although many
animal owners refuse to believe the outlandish demands
exacted by the USDA, everyone is urged to read from the actual
site to understand the truly atrocious requirements.
The federal government is trampling over state rights to reach
a 100% animal numbering system to be computer accessed by
them. They want to immediately locate and or quarantine as
many livestock as they desire to dispose of, or destroy if found
to be exposed to a number of known, unknown or suspected
diseases. Complicated. . . . yes it is!
For consideration of costs, a Kansas State University
spreadsheet projected $3.43 per head with a herd size of 1250
for one tag, one year. To amortize the costs to fit average sized
herds the cost would be $13.22 each for 125 head, $24.10 each
for 62 head, $70.89 each for 20 head and $138.88 each for a ten
head herd. The USDA has refused to project costs in their data.
Commingling will be the most confusion of the entire NAIS
dream. If several thousand animals were gathered for a major
state fair and then separated to other fairs, sales, shows, feed
lots, zoos, etc. The "commingling coefficient" will be
mind-boggling. With the NAIS plan these groups could have
one diseased animal and it would not only require the
quarantine of the original herd, but every animal commingled
and associated with a commingling event multiplied by the
numbers that were commingled. With a few shows, rodeos and
fairs millions of horses, cattle, and exhibit quality stock could
all be under the same government choke-hold. This is all part
of the NAIS protocol of enforcement possibilities.
Registered cattle producers, will be forced to record all cattle
movements by computer even for a single show on a single day.
Many believe this new burden of bureaucracy will totally
eliminate the smaller livestock shows, rodeos, fairs,
gymkhanas, livestock auctions, and even FFA or 4-H events.
It will benefit every animal producer to contact the Federal
and State Secretary of Agriculture, State Veterinarian,
Governor, Senators, State Representatives, etc., and discourage
their support and implementation of this poorly advised,
expensive legislation. The assessment of fees, penalties and
complications of the program far out weigh any possible
benefit.
For more information on the complicated NAIS Commingling
check:
www.NoNAIS.org
www.stopanimalid.org
www.r-calfusa.com
www.texaslonghorn.net/pr/index.cfm?con=boondoggle
www.texaslonghorn.net/pr/index.cfm?con=nais
www.texaslonghorn.net/pr/index.cfm?con=nais2
|
|
|