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The Status of NAIS

By Karin Bergener

First, I’d like to thank The Gaited Horse for stepping up and out on the subject of NAIS when many in the horse community were still in denial, a year ago. Now, let’s look at the high points and issues to watch in the fight against NAIS.

Federal
The USDA plan for NAIS has not changed since its inception, neither has the stated cause of “tracking and preventing animal disease,” despite the fact that science and logic expose that rationale as implausible at best. It can’t work for that purpose, but it certainly could open doors for government (or corporate) control.

“Voluntary” NAIS. The USDA still maintains that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level. But it retains the right to make it mandatory at any time, and claims it has the authority to do so. USDA continues to fund states with mandatory NAIS programs, so obviously, USDA intends that there be 100% participation eventually.

Opt-Out USDA also announced an “opt-out” program, due to the public outcry about the NAIS premises database. This means your pressure has worke d. The Liberty Ark Coalition is tracking a few particular cases of people trying to opt out. Predictably, so far, the process is at

best clumsy and ineffective. If you are attempting to opt out, please keep the Coalition updated on how the process is working for you, in your state (the process starts at the state level).

New Food Safety Legislation

New federal legislation on food safety is a new challenge for anti-NAIS activists. The Safe Food Act of 2006 never got anywhere in the legislative process. Now, though, after spinach contamination and dogs and cats dying from melamine poisoning, the Safe Food Act of

2007 (HR1148/ S654) may get traction.

The Action would create a new, consolidated and more powerful Food Safety Administration. Section 210 of the Act would require the new Administration to “establish requirements for a national system for tracing food and food producing animals from point of origin to retail sale.” The section specifically covers “food production facilities,” and the definition of those includes farms and ranches. In other words, it would require tracing of both livestock and crops -NAIS under another name. And, yes, this means tracking all food -potentially from plants in the ground to your table. If you thought NAIS was absurd, this takes the cake. However, given the general hysteria in the news about food safety, it’s not wise to assume this will go away.

The States
IT JUST ISN’T POSSIBLE TO CATALOGUE all tha>t’s gone on in the states this year; the mere fact that there has been so much activity is a clear sign as to the concern and outrage people feel once they become informed. And almost all of the legislative attempts to deal with Animal ID at a state level have been initiated by ordinary citizens - we the people.

A number of states have had anti-NAIS legislation introduced, and a few had legislation introduced to implement NAIS. In a couple of states, anti-NAIS activists had the unpleasant experience of seeing their bills get through committee only to suddenly morph into pr o-NAIS bills, or suffer a sudden death. Politics are complex. Until anti-NAIS people stand up and make themselves truly heard, these things will continue. So, let’s look at the positive events as of mid-May.

Arizona Arizona had a statute establishing a mandatory NAIS program. At the beginning of May, Arizona’s new law barring a mandatory NAIS was signed into law. It isn’t a perfect bill, but at least Arizona now has breathing room, and activists can move forward to seek a complete bar to premises registration and animal registration and tracking.

Louisiana Louisiana has a strong anti-NAIS bill scheduled for committee hearing in the last half of May.

Missouri Missouri’s House and Senate both passed strong anti-NAIS bills. They are now working in a conference committee to come up with an agreed-upon bill.

Texas House Bill 461, as passed by the Texas House, would bar a mandatory NAIS and coercing people to participate in a so-called “voluntary” NAIS (which of course isn’t voluntary if you can force people to participate). In the week of May 6th, HB 461 finally had a sponsor in the Texas Senate, but with amendments that would weaken the bill considerably. As of press time it wasn’t known what the text of the Senate rendition would be.

How Can You Keep Up to Date?
THERE ARE MANY NATIONAL ANDSTATE web-based groups and forums tracking NAIS and similar programs or statutes. However, to effect legislative change, people have to move from the web to the streets. Get involved in your state with people fighting the NAIS; the main fights will be at the state level. Both the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance and the Liberty Ark Coalition are working with on-ground activists and legislators. Although they have different subject mat-ters generally, you may find Acres (www.acresusa.com/) or Rural Heritage (www.ruralheritage.com/), useful, as they carry regular NAIS articles. Consider joining an organization that has taken a strong anti-NAIS stance, and get involved that way.

Keep up the fight. If we can win in Arizona, we can win in other states, too.

The Home Front
Getting involved in your state is important. It can also be disheartening, as you may learn more about how your state politics work than you want to know. While what happens with NAIS may be of critical importance to you, it’s just one more (yawn) hearing to your legislators.

Case in point: I was present at the Washington State legislative hearing for HB 1151 (proposed to ban any state version of NAIS), on February 21, 2007. My daughter and I drove nearly 450 miles (one way) to attend. The snowy mountain passes were so dangerous we went by way of the Columbia River gorge, so just attending this hearing was no small feat.

Our HB was allotted a 15-minute hearing, the last of the docket. Was it coincidence that the other hearings (about trapping moles in golf courses, etc.) ran on for hours, forcing our hearing into “overtime”?

By the time our bill was heard few legislators were even still present. I was appalled at the misleading testimony used by the opposition to sway their case - it made me realize how much lobbyists depend on the ignorance of legislators on something so complex. When our proponents spoke, they were not glib, polished lobbyists, but cattlemen, farmers and private citizens who were flustered by the delay and unnerved by the setting. Who do you think sounded more convincing to the handful of legislators who remained to listen?

Our bill died, and a monster (ESB 5204) arose from its ashes, which when it takes effect, will essentially make towing a horse trailer implied consent for unwarranted search. The moral of the story? Be prepared for a long haul down a bumpy road.

Rhonda Hart

For those who take some convincing...

We all know those who just don’t believe NAIS could really be as bad as all tha t. Most of us felt that way before we took the time and trouble to investigate.

The more people get informed, the more opposition grows. This is grass-roots America in action. Here is a small sampling of those who oppose NAIS.

http://www.LibertyArk.net
www.NoNAIS.org
www.FreeToFarm.org
www.stopanimalid.org
www.downsizedc.org
www.grannywarriors.com
www.FarmersFieldGuide.com
www.Nationalpropertyrights.org
www.SugarMtnFarm.com/blog
Farm for Lif e (no Web site)

Mary Zanoni, Ph.D.,
P.O. Box 501,
Canton, New York 13617
mlz@slic.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nonaisinny/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheEmptyBarnyard/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/a_better_nais/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANTI-NAIS/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DISTRICT5NEWS/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NONAISin-theUS/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopthenais/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopmonsantonow/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no2nais4horses/
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Americans_Against_NAIS/

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