On Wednesday, March 11, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held a hearing on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Proponents of such a system, including Subcommittee Chairman David Scott (D-GA), maintain that it would prevent the spread of disease, save the government money, and strengthen national security in the event of bio-terrorist attacks. Ranking Subcommittee member Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) and others expressed concern over the cost of implementing such a system, and over potential government invasions of privacy and unwarranted interruptions of operations.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN7) urged that NAIS be mandatory, to ensure that any contagious disease could be reliably traced back to its source. If a mandatory system is not implemented and there is an epidemic, "I will do everything I can to make sure government doesn't bail you out," said Peterson to farmers and feedlots opposed to NAIS.
Subcommittee Chairman Scott asserted that small and mid-size ranchers would need government assistance to comply with a mandatory system, which would cost roughly $3-$5 per animal, and this was not disputed.
Don Butler, president of the National Pork Producers Council, emphasized the benefits of mandatory NAIS for strengthening the security of the livestock industry and maintaining access to global markets.
Bill Nutt, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and Max Thornberry, president of R-CALF USA, each testified in favor of voluntarily implemented, market-driven animal identification systems in his operations. They maintained that mandatory NAIS would cost much more than the $200 million proposed to be budgeted for it, would unnecessarily burden US trade, and flatly stated that such a system has no connection to food safety. Chairman Scott responded that the problem with a voluntary system is that those producers who opt not to participate may harm society as a whole.
