Livestock
Identification: What is Happening?
By Judith McGeary, Farm
and Ranch Freedom Alliance
For several years, the USDA has been working with the largest-scale animal industry companies and manufacturers of microchipping systems to develop a “National Animal Identification System” (“NAIS”). Thousands of people who will be impacted by NAIS have been completely unaware of it before now, and many are still unclear on what it means for them.
What is NAIS?
On April 25, 2005, the USDA released “Draft Program Standards” (“Standards”)
and a “Draft Strategic Plan” (“Plan”) concerning the
NAIS. These documents provide for a three-step system:
1. Premises registration: Every person who owns or manages property with even one horse, cow, pig, chicken, sheep, goat, deer, elk, bison, or virtually any livestock animal, will be forced to register their home in a database under a 7-digit “premises ID number,” which will include GPS coordinates (Standards, pp. 3-4, 10-12; Plan, p. 5.)
2. Animal identification: Every animal will be assigned a 15-digit ID number, also to be kept in a database. The form of ID will most likely be a tag or microchip containing a Radio Frequency Identification Device. (Plan, p. 10; Standards, pp. 6, 12, 20, 27-28.) While the agencies claim that poultry and swine will get “group numbers,” most small farmers and companion-animal owners do not keep animals in ways that would qualify.
3. Animal tracking: The owner will be required to report to the government within 24 hours: every time a tag is applied, a tag is lost or replaced, an animal is killed or dies, or an animal is missing. Reports would also have to be filed every time an animal goes onto or off of a premises or commingles with animals from other premises. (Standards, pp. 12-13, 17-21.) Imagine filing reports with the government every time you go for a trail ride with your friends, take a horse to a show, or even take a horse to the vet for colic!
On April 6, 2006, USDA
held a news conference and released additional documents to implement NAIS.
Although the USDA repeatedly states that NAIS is now “voluntary,”
it has set a goal of 100% premises registration, 100% animal identification
for animals under 1 year of age, and 60% animal tracking for animals under 1
year of age by January 2009. (“Strategies for the Implementation of NAIS”,
p.3) If these goals are not met, USDA threatens to adopt federal regulations
making the program mandatory. In other words, the program is “voluntary”
only if everyone complies. If not, we can expect the government to adopt regulations
forcing us to comply.
The main change is that there will not be a single, federal government database.
Rather, the information collected under NAIS will be kept in assorted state
government and private industry databases, to which the USDA will have access
as needed. This solves some of the technological problems posed by a single,
massive database. But it is no less of a burden on animal owners to provide
all of this information to a private company, with the federal and state governments
being entitled to access it whenever they think necessary.
Are horses included?
Horses are included under NAIS; both the USDA Draft Plan and the TAHC’s
proposed regulations implementing the first stage of the Plan include horses
under the definition of “livestock.” The equine “working group”
at the national level includes representatives from the largest horse associations
and several large technology companies.
Aside from the stated disease control rationale, there are several possible
reasons for including horses: the export market in horse meat, the potential
for large associations to profit from managing the databases, and the potential
for greater profits for the technology companies who make the microchips and
tracking equipment. Regardless of the reason, horses were included in the 2005
Plan published in the Federal Register, and there has been no move to exclude
them. So if someone tells you not to worry because horses will not be included,
ask them to show you something written from the government specifically excluding
horses. Until and unless the government issues such a document, horses are part
of NAIS.
What will be the
result?
The stated goal of this program is to address animal disease by providing 48-hour
traceback of all animal movements. While this has some surface appeal, NAIS
will do little or nothing to actually address the problem of diseases. NAIS
does not address prevention or treatment of disease. NAIS does not address the
problem of different vectors of transmission, such as the spread of West Nile
Virus through mosquito bites or the spread of rabies through wild animals. And
NAIS is simply not necessary. Horses already receive Coggins tests and health
certificates, and we have established procedures for quarantines. If people
wish to microchip their animals out of fear of theft or for any other reason,
they are free to do so, without the existence of NAIS.
The actual results of NAIS will be very harmful. NAIS will drive many of our
small and medium-size farmers out of business, due to the expense and time involved
in tagging every animal and filing the multitude of required reports. As a result,
NAIS will also undermine the truly safe food supply, and true food security,
that comes from having a diversified, local food supply. NAIS will increase
the trend in agriculture towards consolidation of livestock ownership into the
hands of a few large entities. And NAIS will raise the cost of food for everyone,
because someone will have to pay for all of the microchips, radio tags, and
reports.
NAIS also represents the destruction of personal property and privacy rights.
Legally, livestock animals are a form of personal property. The NAIS plan refers
to a “national herd” (Plan, p.8), which clearly indicates the government’s
vision: private ownership rights will be destroyed, and no one will be allowed
to birth, hatch, own, or transfer any head of livestock without government permission.
We can take our shotguns and walk over our neighbor’s property, but if
children ride their ponies to their neighbors, or a farmer gives a couple chickens
to a neighbor, they invite Big Brother into their barns and their farms.
Last, NAIS will also violate the religious freedom of some individuals. Many
religious sects require their members to raise their own food animals and use
animals in farming and transportation because their beliefs require them to
live this way. Such people obviously cannot comply with the USDA’s computerized,
technology-dependent system. The government has not provided for any exceptions
based on religious objections or for people who just uses horses for transport.
Ultimately, NAIS will deliver no significant health benefits, while creating
serious economic and personal hardship on thousands of animal owners.
What can I do?
Because the TAHC (Texas Animal Health Commission) and USDA have delayed taking
immediate action, we have time to make our voices heard.
· Contact your state representative, senator, and the Governor, asking that they enact legislation limiting the TAHC’s authority to a voluntary program only
· Contact your Congressman and Senators, telling them that Congress needs to explicitly limit USDA’s authority
· Support the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. Visit http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org
For more information, contact Judith McGeary, Executive Director, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, at (512) 243-2706 or jmcgeary@att.net