By: Judith McGeary
In November 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that the
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is, and will remain, voluntary
at the federal level. At the same time, the agency has continued to fund states
to implement the program. Since then, the debate over the NAIS has focused on
the States. Previous Horse Gazette articles discussed the Texas bills, but bills
to stop or limit NAIS were introduced in a dozen other states as well. Like
the Texas bill, most failed (see the July issue of the Horse Gazette for more
details). But the failure to pass most of the anti-NAIS bills should not be
seen as a defeat in the long run. Just one year ago, very few legislators had
even heard of NAIS! Now, thanks to the grassroots movement, it has become a
significant issue for debate in many States. Successful grassroots movements
require years to build strong coalitions and to educate enough people to get
legislation passed. The NAIS opposition is off to a very strong start. And we
already have one success at the State level because Arizona adopted a law barring
a mandatory NAIS. In addition, at the time this issue went to press, there were
still live bills in Massachusetts and Tennessee.
Seeing the resistance to NAIS at the state level has apparently caused the supporters
of NAIS to change their tactics again. Now, they want to the federal government
to tie mandatory animal identification to Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL.
What does that mean?
Agricultural products are exempted from the general law that products must be
labeled with their country of origin. The 2002 Farm Bill attempted to cure this
problem by mandating Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for food products. The
law allows food to bear a “U.S.” origin label only if the meat is
wholly from animals born, raised, and slaughtered exclusively in the U.S. Because
of opposition by large meat packers and retailers, implementation of the law
has been delayed until 2008. Importantly, the law forbids the USDA from using
a mandatory animal identification system to implement COOL. Section 11101 of
the 2007 Farm Bill would repeal this prohibition and allow USDA to mandate animal
identification as part of COOL.
Mandatory animal identification under COOL probably would not include horses,
since they are not a food animal in this country. But given that all of the
industry’s and USDA’s plans for NAIS have lumped horses in with
other livestock, it would be surprising if horses were not ultimately brought
in because of their frequent contacts with food animals, such as cattle. Moreover,
horse owners will be directly affected by COOL in the most basic possible way
– their grocery bills and food choices. We all eat food, after all, and
that is what the Farm Bill is really about.
COOL can and should be implemented without a mandatory animal identification
system. COOL requires simply identifying imported animals when they cross the
border, and then tracking the meat from these animals after slaughter in order
to allow accurate labeling. Cattle imported from Canada and Mexico are already
required to be branded or arrive in sealed conveyances for health and safety
reasons, and COOL only requires that the information about these imports be
provided to the consumer. Imported food (as opposed to live animals) can be
easily labeled at the point of entry with its country of origin.
In contrast, NAIS would require that anyone who owns even a single livestock
animal register their property with the government, individually identify each
animal, and track their movements prior to slaughter. This would include people
who raise animals for their own food or for direct sales in a local market.
NAIS would impose significant monetary and labor burdens on ranchers who raise
entirely domestic herds of livestock, none of which would need individual identification
for purposes of COOL. Based on estimates from other countries, the costs of
NAIS could run anywhere from $37 to $69 per animal on average, which does not
fully capture the cost to smaller producers. With over a hundred million cattle
and millions of other livestock animals in the United States, the NAIS will
likely cost producers, businesses, and taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
COOL is designed to provide consumers with information, so that they can choose
whether to buy American-raised or foreign-raised food. Using NAIS to implement
COOL would undermine the goals of COOL. The government intrusion and expenses
of NAIS would drive many American farmers and ranchers out of business. Our
food supply would be consolidated into the hands of few large corporations,
as has already occurred in the poultry and swine industries. With NAIS, the
“Made in the USA” label under COOL would not mean that consumers
were supporting American farmers and ranchers – they’d simply be
supporting the international corporations whose sole interest is in increasing
their profits. NAIS is not necessary for COOL, and the two programs are not
compatible.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The Farm Bill is supposed to be completed by September 30, so the next couple
of months are critical. Contact the Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the
Senate Agriculture Committee and the two Texas Senators. Tell them that you
are against the National Animal Identification System. NAIS should not be linked
to Country of Origin Labeling, and you want them to strip Section 11101 out
of the Farm Bill.
Key People to Contact:
Senator Harkin
Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee
Phone: 202-224-2035
Fax: 202-228-4576
Web Form: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Senator Saxby Chamliss
Ranking Minority Member, Senate Agriculture Committee
Phone: 202-224-2035
Fax: 202-228-4942
Senator John Cornyn
Phone: (202) 224-2934
Fax: 202-228-2856
Web Form: cornyn.senate.gov/contact/index.html
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Phone: (202) 224-5922
Fax: 202-224-5922
Web Form: hutchison.senate.gov/contact.html
You can make a difference. The grassroots movement has significantly slowed
implementation of NAIS already, and we continue to grow and strengthen. Every
voice counts, so make sure you use yours – speak up now! For more information,
go to www.farmandranchfreedom.org or call 866-687
Back to NAIS on The Horse Gazette Website