NoNAIS.org

[DuckLady]

Back on topic..... in a non emotional , factual way. I would like to be educated.

What are the pro's and cons of NAIS? I would like to know facts on both sides. (Please no attacking others thoughts and ideas. Thanks!

)

 

[FloridaChickenChick]

I agree with TerrieLacy and I thank the mod who re-opened this thread. It's helpful for me to hear both sides of an issue and then go do some research on my own, digest it all, and reach a decision for myself.

BYC is a great place to come get information...I'm really interested in hearing both sides!

 

[speckledhen]

Cons, just a few.
1) Expensive for the small farmer and taxpayer.
2) Falls under the umbrella of Homeland Security-all basic rights are suspended.
3) Invasive and damaging to property rights/unconstitutional
4) Repetitive program-systems are already in place for everything this purports to do.
5) Punishes the small farmer/flock owner by making him ID every single animal instead of a group like the Big Guys get to do.
6) ineffective for the purpose it was supposedly designed for. How is a number going to do anything to stop disease? Wont.
7) Worded so it has "catches". Says if an animal never leaves the property, it wont have to be IDd. Dumb. If you take your animal to the vet, it's left your property. They've got you then.
8) People will stop taking sick animals to the vet for fear of being IDd.


Pros? None.

*They dont even track sex offenders this closely, for Pete's Sake!*

Found this interesting and telling statement on someone's blog:

A Vietnam vet took one look at an NAIS report in the office last month, then said it all. “Reminds me of the Viet Cong in Nam. The villagers were taxed heavily, so they kept a very, very few chickens, one cow, maybe one hog. Everything else was hidden in the jungle. The Cong took any real surplus. Your animal ID program has nothing to do with health. They just want to know where every morsel of food is. Just think of the times you have coming up.”

An excellent book to read to see how the USDA works is "MAD SHEEP" by Linda Faillace. SCARY.​

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:
Not trying to be argumentative, Cyn. I really want factual non emotional answers from people who have read and understand both sides.

 

[nnbreeder]

It started as an idea for Country of Origin Labeling so that consumers could pick up a piece of packaged meat in the store and tell it was from the US or whatever other country and then morphed into a 48hr disease traceback system for food safety. As far as I know there have been no studies done as to what it will cost the producer per head to comply with the new regulations but the Aussies figure it to be about 40 dollars per head on their program that is in place. Now an integrated producer such as Farmland or Tyson will be able to pass this cost on to consumers as they own the product from womb to tomb and set the prices for their product at the consumer level. The family farmer will have to eat the cost as many are at the mercy of the open market and whatever the packers and feeders will pay them. Still in the voluntary stage the only ones required by law to register their livestock are those that will leave the home farm and that includes for shows and fairs and such. There are a lot of rumers circulating among people that microchipping the animals will help to speed recovery in case of a theft, only if you put in your own chip. The USDA database will be closed to all access except to them for security reasons. This is the short version poke here for the official scoop. http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml

 

[speckledhen]

Terrie, I dont see how I wrote anything else. I'd have to write an entire book to discuss it that way. I wrote quick points, but if you want me to elaborate, I can do that. All someone has to do it read the entire proposal. Takes way too long to rewrite that all here.

 

[flakey chick]

Quote:
This is why I think most people who don't own any covered "livestock" don't see it as affecting them. Consider how it will affect the "national herd" though. Genetic diversity of available livestock whill be decimated. That will actually leave the remaining livestock more vulnerable.

 

[seminolewind]

pros:

 

[nnbreeder]

Copied from the USDA site I posted on tracing...................The final NAIS component, animal tracing, is available through several Animal Tracking Databases (ATDs) maintained by States and private industry. This component of NAIS is one that still requires the most development, as a lot of data collection infrastructure will need to be put in place at markets and other locations. However, producers already have access to several ATDs for reporting the movement of animals that are shipped from or moved into their premises.

Movements within a production unit for management purposes (e.g., from pasture to pasture) are not ones that impact disease spread, and therefore are not necessary to report relative to NAIS. State and private industry animal tracking databases (ATDs) will hold the animal location and movement records that producers report. When there is a disease outbreak or other animal health event, the ATDs provide timely, accurate reports that show where potentially exposed animals have been and what other animals have come into contact with them.

Choosing an Animal Tracking Database
Participating producers will select either a State- or industry-operated ATD for reporting animal movements. Animal health officials receive movement records from ATDs only if a disease or animal health event occurs. View a list of compliant ATDs (PDF; 43KB).

Reporting Animal Movements
The NAIS Species Working Groups, in collaboration with animal health officials, are developing recommendations for the specific types of movements that should be reported to an ATD - those movements that pose the greatest potential to impact the spread of diseases for each species. Instructions on how to report animal movements will vary depending on the ATD selected by the producer.

Why You Should Participate
Once the animal tracing component is complete, there are several important points to consider when choosing whether to participate:

Animal tracing information makes it easier for producers, States, industry, and USDA to determine the scope of a disease or animal health event and locate infected animals.

Federal and state animal health officials will receive animal location and movement records only if a disease or animal health event - such as an outbreak of avian influenza or bovine tuberculosis - occurs

 

[MayberrySaint]

As you can see by my signature, I am very-pro NAIS and have registered my backyard flock in both the state and federal databases.
It is almost impossible to contradict all the government-conspiracy theories generated by left-wing, eco-farmer groups concerning NAIS...however, as someone who was intimately involved in the NC program and the federal pilot program, I can tell you that most of what you hear about NAIS is false. The first and foremost reason for NAIS is to protect american agriculture from foreign diseases that could decimate our industry. There is a reason that you don't hear about mass cullings of livestock and poultry in the US...it is because of the vigilance of the USDA in protecting against introduction of economically-devastating diseases. The USDA and state ag agencies have also led the way in eliminating certain diseases that used to create terrible losses to both large and small farmers...pseudorabies, brucellosis, hog cholera, avian flu, etc. How were these diseases first controlled and then eliminated...by identifying where animals were located and tracking their movements. This has been done for years at the state level and I participated in the NC pseudorabies eradication program. Every farm, backyard, etc. that had a pig was identified, tested and any positive animals were culled. Farmers both large and small were compensated for losses and provided vaccine to use if they were in a hot area. Without the cooperation of backyard piggeries and large, commercial operations, it would have been impossible to eliminate this disease.
Now, let's assume that a foreign disease has entered the US...either by accident or on purpose. Some of these diseases can be spread by wildlife or by aerosol...so all farms, backyards, mega-operations will be at risk. Most disease is spread in the transport of animals when they go to auction or market. If disease X appears in the US...it is of paramount importance that: 1. A quarantine zone be put in place. 2. Effected animals culled. 3. Other animals tested and cleared.
This is next to impossible without a NAIS-type program to identify every animal in a particular zone. Yes, it may mean that your flock is eliminated to stop the spread of disease. That is no different than today if you happened to be in an avian flu outbreak area.
NAIS does want you to identify individual animals and provide the ID at market of when you sell the animals. Paperwork is involved. YOU DO NOT HAVE to identify them with Radio-frequency tags...leg bands will suffice.
There are no fees with NAIS...I registered my flock with no fees imposed either at the state or federal level.
Those of you who think that government agents are going to come trespassing on your property in the middle of the night and confiscate your birds are pretty paranoid...the USDA has more to worry about than a few hens in the mountains of Georgia or the prairies of Kansas. They want them identified so they can work with individual producers in the event of a disease outbreak.
If you think that government interference is not necessary to ensure a safe agricultural system, then you need to do some history reading and learn about what happened to small farmers when there was an outbreak of hog cholera or brucellosis or avian flu. These diseases completely wiped out herd and flocks and led to widespread farm foreclosures until the 1960s when these diseases were eliminated from the US.

We have the safest, agricultural system in the world...the reason is because of so-called government interference in the practices of individual farmers. If you want to see an agriculture industry where the government is not involved, go look at China or Malaysia or India and see if you would rather experience outbreaks of disease on a regular basis that would kill your flocks or do a little paperwork and cooperate with the USDA. The choice for me is simple...I'll take our model any day.