IT’S TIME FOR A BOSTON TEA PARTY!
By Marilyn Short
Emotions ran high and the sentiment was clear from the start, as people signed petitions against NAIS on the way into the Bandera Town Hall Meeting on October 19, 2006. Over 100 people came to the special meeting regarding the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and nearly all were there to find out how to fight the government program. The few who had not taken a stand on the issue were convinced by the end of the presentations that the NAIS should not be forced onto American citizens. If there were any persons present who approve of NAIS, they did not make themselves known.
Political candidates from the county level to the state gubernatorial race were invited to the meeting. Nathan Macias was the only candidate in attendance; he is opposed to NAIS. The Texas Animal Health Commission was invited to send a representative; they declined.
The meeting was opened with a speech from Karen Brown, a horse trainer and boarding facility owner in Bandera, TX. Her speech summarized the NAIS program requirements and then went on to list the numerous detrimental aspects of the system. “The greatest danger of this system is to the people who own just a few head of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, or any livestock animal,” Brown stated. “But this program will affect every American, whether they own animals or not. If you have bacon and eggs for breakfast or carry a leather wallet, this program affects you.”
“The on-going costs of complying with the system combined with the hassle in terms of stock handling and filing reports will simply cause many people to give up raising or owning a few head of stock. This is what the agri-businesses who support NAIS are hoping for,” Brown continued. “There is a fee to register your premises, it will cost $40 to $70 or more to tag or chip each animal you own. You will have to pay a fee every place you take your animals to have someone read the chip. You will have to pay to file a report every time you haul an animal and pay to file another report when you bring it back home. You will pay to file a report every time an animal dies, loses a tag, gets lost or eaten by predators.”
Brown began her presentation with a comment about the compliance aspect of NAIS, “The USDA continues to misrepresent NAIS as a voluntary program. This is not true. The USDA is paying every state in the Union to develop and promote NAIS, which then becomes mandatory at the state level.” TAHC plans to use premises registration fees as a means to support their department.
In Texas, penalties for non-compliance with premises registration include $1,000 PER DAY fines, misdemeanor charges and possible jail time. Brown says that we should expect to face the same penalties for not tagging animals and/or not reporting movements.
Brown went on to make several points against the system. “Regardless of whether you think NAIS is necessary or not, the fact is that the system, as designed, is doomed to fail. It is completely dependent upon flawed technology, it requires a computer based data collection system that will be larger than any in existence in the world, and the success of detecting a disease is completely dependent upon the information provided by people who do not want to participate.”
One audience member raised the concern about what will happen when an animal dies. Since the program is designed to protect against disease, how will the government determine if a reported dead animal is disease free? The question of being forced to pay for autopsies is left unanswered by USDA Draft Plans.
Another person raised the valid question of what will happen to people who cannot absorb the costs of the system and still make a profit on selling livestock. When these people stop producing livestock they will also lose their ag-exemptions on their land. The additional tax burden combined with the loss of income from livestock may force them to sell their land. This is a topic that has not been addressed by anyone in a governmental capacity.
Ron Hickerson, of Pipe Creek, spoke as a veteran, “This will be the first time in the history of America that innocent citizens will have their movements tracked. This restriction of freedom and surveillance of citizens is not what I and other veterans fought for.”
Debbie Davis, of Tarpley, spoke briefly about the need for everyone to take part in fighting this battle by writing to their politicians at every level of government, by asking their County Commissioners to sign Resolutions opposing NAIS, and by adding their names to the member list of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, an organization currently dedicated to fighting NAIS on a state and national level. “We need to show a united front to the political powers,” said Davis.
Toward the end of the meeting a shout rang out, “It’s time for
a Boston Tea Party!” The man’s chant was followed by cheers and
clapping throughout the building. Denise Stevens responded to that chant by
asking everyone to “Make tea by doing the things Debbie talked about.”
Other activities such as a Trailer Parade to Austin were discussed as a means
to alert state legislators to the sentiment against NAIS. Town Meetings are
being organized throughout Texas.