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National ID is DEAD

Mike

Well-known member
News
National ID Is Dead
USDA effectively and quietly knocked the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in the head last Wednesday. It did so with the unheralded publication of the "NAIS User Guide," which replaces all former NAIS draft documents. This document, for the first time, emphasizes NAIS as a voluntary program rather than as a steppingstone to a mandatory one.

In fact, at the very beginning, the guide explains, "USDA is not requiring participation in the program. NAIS can help producers protect the health and marketability of their animals -- but the choice to participate is theirs."

Late last month at a community outreach event in Kansas City, Chuck Conner, USDA Deputy Secretary, and Bruce Knight, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, paved the way for the agency's back-pedaling.

"Since we've had some confusion on this, we need to be as clear as we can be. This is 'voluntary' with a capital V. Not a currently voluntary, then maybe a mandatory system. This is a permanently voluntary system at the federal level," Conner said.

"We're making it crystal clear that NAIS is voluntary -- no ifs, ands or buts," explained Knight. "Farmers can choose to register their premises. They can choose to participate in individual animal or group identification. And they can opt to be part of tracking. Or not."

The guide goes on to explain, "Participation in NAIS is voluntary at the federal level. Under our current authorities, USDA could make the NAIS mandatory, but we are choosing not to do so -- again, participation in every component of NAIS is voluntary at the federal level. The NAIS does not need to be mandatory to be effective; we believe the goals of the system can be achieved with a voluntary program. As producers become increasingly aware of the benefits of the NAIS and the level of voluntary participation grows, there will only be less need to make the program mandatory."

Absent from the "NAIS User Guide" are the suggested timelines and benchmarks for achieving an effective level of producer participation. Instead, USDA emphasizes its belief that market demands will provide the necessary incentive for participation.

That's possible, though it hasn't been the case, thus far. It's hard to imagine, too, the need commerce will see for a system cohesive and coordinated enough to provide the industry-wide, 48-hour trace-back NAIS was designed to provide. Consequently, the only real incentive for animal ID remains to be the value individual producers see in it for management purposes.

So, it seems NAIS is over, at least for the tenure of the current administration.

You can find the complete "NAIS User Guide" at animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/documents/instructions_guidelines/NAIS-UserGuide.pdf.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Here is a post I took off the No Mandatory Animal ID site by another Montanan thats as skeptical about Johanns and USDA as I am...

------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, November 28. 2006

New User Guide
I see that the USDA now has a User Guide out for the NAIS program. It supersedes the earlier Draft that made NAIS mandatory. It can be found here,

NAIS-User Guide

I read it quickly looking it over for the key concepts that were important. There were two words that jumped out at me throughout the document. "Federal level." Here's an example.


When producers consider participating in NAIS, there are three key points to remember in understanding
how this program works:
1) Participation in NAIS is voluntary at the Federal level. There is no Federal requirement for
producers to participate in any aspect of the program.
2) Federal law protects individuals’ private information and confidential business information from
disclosure. USDA will continue using its authority to protect individuals’ private information and
confidential business information provided by NAIS participants.
3) NAIS is a State-Federal-industry partnership that continues to evolve to meet producer demands.
NAIS works best if there is active involvement and feedback from the States, industry, and
producers.


You see they are very careful to say that NAIS is "voluntary at the Federal level." Such key words. They couldn't stand the heat from producers on the voluntary mandatory issue so what are they doing? Passing it off to the states.

BEWARE, THE FEDS ARE GOING TO PRESSURE THE STATES TO MAKE NAIS MANDATORY.

You see my prediction. we need to work now at the state level to ensure that NAIS does not become mandatory at the state level. Heed my warning, the feds will press so we need to press back harder. Contact your state representatives, Governor and State Veterinary. Express your opposition to mandatory NAIS. Together we can defeat this.

An ear tag never stopped a disease, but together we are stopping the Feds.
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
An ear tag never stopped a disease/ Well a brand never did either but those little metal ear tags put in when the the cattle were tested stuck pretty good. Doesn't Montana still tags Hfrs?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Big Muddy rancher said:
An ear tag never stopped a disease/ Well a brand never did either but those little metal ear tags put in when the the cattle were tested stuck pretty good. Doesn't Montana still tags Hfrs?

When they are Bangs vaccinated...They haven't had to test in almost 50 years...
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Michigan is going all RFID on March 1st as we have TB and every farm that has animals needs a premises code.Which State is NEXT?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I understand that USDA is already paying states that are setting up Mandatory ID...

The Guvment boys will probably do like they did with Montana's speed limit-- when old Jimmy Carter tried to get the 55 mph limit nationwide because of the oil shortage, instead of enacting it, Montana enacted a wasting gas law that didn't go on your driving record, with a maximum $5 fine, if you were going over 55 (most folks just stuck a handful of $5 bills on their visor to give the Patrolman when they were traveling :wink: )...Then they threatened to not give us some tax money back if they didn't pass a real law and Montana told them where they could stick it...Then they came out and refused to give Montana any Federal Funding for Highways (pure blackmail)...So between that and all our new Californicator residents we ended up with a speed limit :roll: :( :mad:
 
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