NAIS & your chickens

[ksalvagno]

I don't know if many of you have heard of NAIS which is National Animal Identification System. It is about microchipping and registering all livestock including poultry in the US under one system. This may end up affecting you.

I was reading my Backwoods Home Magazine. They have an article in their May/June #117 edition called "The Coming American Dictatorship" by John Silveira. It was very eye opening about what the government is doing.

The bill for NAIS was written by the National Institute of Animal Agriculture which is NOT a government agency. It is a private organization made up of organizations of various pharmaceutical and chemical organizations along with agribusinesses and corporations who hope to profit from manufacturing tracking equipment.

You will have to register your premise and all your livestock animals. You will have to have GPS tracking microchips implanted in your chickens so they can be tracked by the government. Of course there will be a cost for this. You will have to keep detailed records of what you do with your eggs.

The mega factory farms will NOT have to buy chips for every animal on the premise. The reason is that they get thousands of animals at the same time and are slaughtered at the same time. So they have argued successfully that they are one unit (as opposed to a single chicken we own being one unit). So while you and I will have to have a microchip for every chicken (or other farm animals) on our property, the mega factory farms will only have to get one chip for say 100,000 chickens or 50,000 cattle (only examples).

Is your child in 4H? That animal has to be tracked everywhere your child enters a 4H contest. If that animal goes in an auction, that has to be reported to. Is your child in a parade with their animal? That will have to be reported.

Every time you make a report with animal movement to the government, there is likely to be a charge for making that report too. But remember those big mega factory farms will only have to make ONE report for the thousands of animals that they move on their one microchip.

Also, you will have to keep very good records of where your eggs go. Do you have extra eggs that you want to give to the neighbor? Well, you have to make a report and report which eggs were given and where they went.

If this comes to be and you don't register your premise and animals, if you have the vet out, the vet is legally obligated to report you. So then you would be fined. Of course they are trying to push and get this into law without even disclosing what the penalties for non-compliance will be.

I think everyone needs to look into this and contact your congressmen on the state and federal level. If this really does go into effect, you and I may not be able to keep our chickens because the cost of being part of this system will be too high. The group that wrote the bill was also slick because they went to the bureaucrats so it wouldn't have to be debated and can just pass into law.

If you go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ you can find your officials by using your zip code and send them an email (and only have to type it once!). It's quite painless! Here are some other links about NAIS:
http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/content/what-is-nais
http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupda ... feb09.html

 

[ibpboo]

Thanks for the links!

 

[MissPrissy]

Welcome to BYC.

This is one topic that has been visited over and over again.

It is not new to BYC.

Keep all discussion civil and on topic. Use your best manners and follow the BYC rules at all times.

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

And who, praytell, is going to fund all the inspectors needed to go door to door to enforce this proposed bill?

I hate to be a naysayer but I just don't see the government having the money to enforce something they don't have the money to back.

 

[australorpchick]

Quote:
That's not stopping them from spending money we don't have, now.

 

[spook]

ksalvagno, not meaning any disrespect here but everyone of us new folk have to run through this subject. Its not easy keeping folks in check on such heart wrenching subjects as this.

Now, I do not agree with the ways of the world, NAIS basically is not able to work, if it would, we would be illegal alien free because it would have worked so well, that it would have been voted in graciously.

One issue that (in my opinion) comes to mind is a "TAX" on eggs, birds, land usage etc, and most of us are just wanting to supplement our families with healthy food and pay for feed on the side. But then you have the other "guys" that don't care about giving quality birds, eggs, housing or antibiotic use and this is one area, that needs to be watched, poultry accounted for and all that jazz. Often we find these "battery" hens or old commercial birds cheap and great, yet they have had all the injections to keep them healthy...and will be contagious to the little guys like us.

I realize that is only one of the problems. And I hate to be black balled from this site by saying this- I can understand what their intent is. Its the rest of the legal stuff that scares me.

When we had the scare in the 1980's with AI (avian influenza)and each state tested wild along with farm birds, with commercial birds etc, they wanted to know where to go for quick access to the poultry owners if there was another disease outbreak.

We all appreciate the system when we had Mad Cow Disease running through the abitiors and cheered when they could track the disease to the local of the farmer. We cheered not realizing that these farmers had to have their bovine records kept up to date and records. Not so different then the NAIS.

I still do not agree with NAIS because once a person in office gains "power" then it can be misled and abuse comes to mind.
We poultry owners, be it hobby farm, hatchery, egg suppliers etc, we may go through 100 birds a year (unlikely but you get my drift), and we do not want to have to prove testing for NPIP and the other tests that could ruin good reputations. But should be morally responsible to protect our neighbors, in which most don't.

Being sure I missed a few points, bottom line is, no, this is not a good law, I do understand it , and we need to keep this subject in a tolerable discussion, not a political hate group as that does not allow others to gain knowledge from everyone opinions.

 

[ksalvagno]

While I understand this has been going on for years, supposedly funding has been given to go forward with this. It concerns me because I birth alpacas for a living (alpaca midwife) and I'm getting my first chickens this Wednesday (1 day old chicks). I have been very excited about getting my new chicks and having chickens. This would be for personal use and I'm starting out with 3 Golden Buffs. But my alpaca business would force me to register the chickens as well. I would not only lose my form of income but my husband and I are working on being more self reliant for our food and don't want that taken away from us, especially with the economy. Plus we do buy food from local farmers to support them and would hate to see them go out of business.

I hated to start my first posting with this but with what the government has been doing in other areas, I'm very concerned that this will actually go through. People and businesses with deep pockets and large contributions have a good chance of getting their way.

Karen

 

[spook]

Quote:
I certainly did not intend on dismissing it, probably I sounded that way, and I totally agree with you. There are so many other places that this money should go to besides us small scale people and how many "rabbits" we own. It is BS.
My suggestions would be to write these things to your congress persons, Senators, local and state representatives. Make your voice be heard.
Without starting a political picket line, do so with your own pen. As a matter of fact, most of these people are online, so send them an email, explain why this would not benefit you and your neighbors.
I think we are all at that point. Its like they want us to become dependent on the almighty dollar that they hand out, yet we can grow our own foods, be it animal or vegetable, it should be our best interest to support each other.
Now, the reason I say that I understand why, and not agreeing with the route of this law, but there are so many people that would not be honest if any official came to their doors. All it takes in many cases is that face that will not jump to conclusions, of all inspectors are bad, when they do us a favor in many cases.
Its to bad that this is even a subject - I've asked the same things, I came in on this board and made a lot of the same comments! Questioned people on their opinions. Of course the one I get hit with frequently is (it seems like) the communists are acoming!
I mean no disrespect on the part of my opinions, I agree wholeheartedly.
Personally I don't feel that we should have to have a building permit to build a dog house (hypothetical). If its "my" land, then I should be able to do as I see fit. Period. Same with our critters.
It is a frustrating subject and if anyone knows how to give the argument with the government about this without belittling, insulting or threatening, I wish you would produce a form letter that we could send in.
Perhaps that would be a positive way to begin taking a proactive approach to government and NAIS. I feel that even making a intelligent, gentle reminder to our State veterinarians would also be a place to start.
My intent here is not to take a stand and chant political injustice, but to encourage letting our voices be heard.

You know, someone said that when the State Vet came to talk to a bunch of farmers about NAIS, trying to sell the idea, the big laughter about someone throwing a horse bun at him.
How childish. If people cannot be respectful, what makes the powers that be take us serious when they cannot speak to respectable people that choose not to assault them.
Eh, Ive gone off on my soap box, sorry. But this is a serious issue, I apologise for sounding disrespectful.
Kel

 

[ksalvagno]

Actually, I have already written the senators and congressmen in my area, both state and federal. The state congressmen sent a polite letter back that it is federal and they can not help me. I was just hoping to make others aware and hopefully they would write their senators and congressmen too. The more people heard, the better.

Karen

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Actually, your State legislators have a great deal to do with NAIS as it is implements through the various states, not by the Federal government. Various states already have legislation about it--all the way from the extreme of full implementation plus: even pet cage birds such as parakeets and canaries have to be registered--to the other extreme of an Arizona state law refusing to allow any part of it to be implemented in Arizona.

There is a significant difference between documenting the source of any product that enters the food chain and documenting the mere ownership of animals. I agree with the idea that animals that enter the food chain should be documented & tracked--but NAIS provisions largely EXCLUDE the large commercial eggeries and meat producers, focusing instead on small backyard flocks/herds which may or may not have any bearing on the food chain.