| For more information about NAIS and why it's a problem for the small farmers and consumers of local foods, check our my earlier diary: http://www.lavidalocavore.org/...
The immediate issue is the funding for this ill-conceived program. For five years, the USDA has been using our federal tax dollars to push NAIS, both directly and through grants to the states. Thanks to these grants, an Amish farmer in Wisconsin is currently facing a government enforcement action to fine him because he refused to violate his religious beliefs by registering in the NAIS database. Other states have kicked children out of 4-H fairs, denied disaster relied for farmers, and taken people's information without their permission -- all in the name of increasing NAIS registrations in order to get federal grants. It's time for this to stop!
The House of Representatives passed the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill with no funding for NAIS. But the Senate Appropriations Committee included more than $14 million for NAIS in its version of the Agriculture Appropriations bill.
Senator Tester (D-MT), an organic farmer himself, has introduced an amendment to cut the funding for NAIS in half, to approximately $7 million. Senators McCaskill (D-MO) and Enzi (R-WY) are co-sponsoring the Tester Amendment.
The Senate vote on the Agriculture Appropriations bill is expected to occur on Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
The ultimate goal is to stop all funding for NAIS. The Tester amendment doesn't get us all the way there, but it is a step in the right direction. The less funding the Senate includes, the better our chances to convince the conference committee to stop all funding!
Please call, fax, or email your Senators ASAP and ask them to support the Tester Amendment to cut NAIS funding.
What you can say when you call:
"I am a constituent, and I am calling to urge Senator ____ to support the Tester Amendment to decrease the funding of Animal ID (NAIS) in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill when it comes to the floor. I want all funding for NAIS stopped, and this amendment is a good step in that direction. Will Senator ___ support Tester's amendment to reduce the NAIS funding?"
You can contact your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or go to http://senate.gov Be sure to call BOTH of the Senators from your State!
Additional talking points:
* NAIS does not address the prevention or treatment of disease. It is only an after-the-fact tracking program, and USDA has not shown that NAIS will improve on existing tracking methods.
* NAIS does nothing to improve food safety because the tracking ends when the animal dies, while the vast majority of foodborne illnesses are due to contamination at the slaughterhouse or during processing.
* Animal health is a critical issue, and there are many things that USDA can and should do to protect animal health in this country. But all NAIS will do is make large agribusiness and technology companies rich at the expense of both taxpayers and small farmers.
NAIS is a complex issue, and this diary barely scratches the surface. If you want more information, go to http://farmandranchfreedom.org |
