Amid debate over illegal immigration and spending priorities, Congress has put the brakes on further Animal Identification funding to USDA, at least until they have more information on which to resume funding.
This week the $33 million intended to fund the next steps of USDA’s national animal identification program was frozen in negotiations on the Agriculture Appropriations bill. That package of $93.6 billion was debated this week among many contentious agricultural issues. One attempt to scuttle the program entirely was easily defeated, but the House withheld funding for ID until the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service outlines its strategy in a proposed rule that would delineate the program’s parameters. That rulemaking process would include a public comment period, after which Congress will decide how to resume the program monetarily speaking.
12 Comments on “Congress Freezes Funding on Animal ID”
USDA cancelled the public comment period and is now foisting the responsibility for this concrete blimp onto the states. I guess they didn’t realize that not all Americans are asleep in the milk room.
An animal id system might work well for those who produce food that goes into the anonymous food chain, but what about us homesteaders, small farmers and hobbyists? What do are animals have to do with the National Herd? We don’t care about export markets. If there has to be a program, make it voluntary for those who stand to gain from the marketing opportunity – any you pay for it, not the taxpayers – and leave us, who already know where our food has come from and where it is going, alone.
USDA cancelled the public comment period and is now foisting the responsibility for this concrete blimp onto the states. I guess they didn’t realize that not all Americans are asleep in the milk room.
An animal id system might work well for those who produce food that goes into the anonymous food chain, but what about us homesteaders, small farmers and hobbyists? What do are animals have to do with the National Herd? We don’t care about export markets. If there has to be a program, make it voluntary for those who stand to gain from the marketing opportunity – any you pay for it, not the taxpayers – and leave us, who already know where our food has come from and where it is going, alone.
The National Animal ID Program should be a manditory program. It IS NOT a marketing program, periood. The System is, and should be, a food saftey and animal health issue. The program must be mandidtory to assure all consumers that in the case of an animal disease event, or God forbid, outbreak, traceability is possible in the shortest amount of time. The only downside to the program is the small number of folks who will attempt, at all costs, to skirt the regulations and compromise the integrity of the traceback protocols.
The National Animal ID Program should be a manditory program. It IS NOT a marketing program, periood. The System is, and should be, a food saftey and animal health issue. The program must be mandidtory to assure all consumers that in the case of an animal disease event, or God forbid, outbreak, traceability is possible in the shortest amount of time. The only downside to the program is the small number of folks who will attempt, at all costs, to skirt the regulations and compromise the integrity of the traceback protocols.
NAIS IS TOO a marketing program. It says so right on the front of the NAIS document. The word “business plan” is used.
When Creekstone Beef said they wanted to test every cow they processed for BSE, the USDA said they cannot!!! Creekstone had to take the USDA to court to sue for the right to
test for BSE! So much for what USDA told us how NAIS is needed to protect us from BSE!!!
NAIS tracking ends at time of slaughter which is when most food safety issues occur.
100% traceability is impossible. One break in the chain and the 48 hr traceback is worthless.
Several Constitutional rights/religious rights will be broken by NAIS regulations. How can the Amish comply with this program when they feel it will go against what they believe and they do not have electricity.
How about the impoverished who keep a few animals yet can barely afford potato chips, let alone microchips.
Then there is the Santeria religion, legal in the US, where animal sacrifice is practiced (chickens and goats) often in city apartments. Will those animals be reported?
Livestock owners will be under closer surveillance than illegals, drug dealers, convicted six offenders/child molesters. Currently in the USA, only convicted six offenders/child molesters have to register their premises and file movement reports.
NAIS IS TOO a marketing program. It says so right on the front of the NAIS document. The word “business plan” is used.
When Creekstone Beef said they wanted to test every cow they processed for BSE, the USDA said they cannot!!! Creekstone had to take the USDA to court to sue for the right to
test for BSE! So much for what USDA told us how NAIS is needed to protect us from BSE!!!
NAIS tracking ends at time of slaughter which is when most food safety issues occur.
100% traceability is impossible. One break in the chain and the 48 hr traceback is worthless.
Several Constitutional rights/religious rights will be broken by NAIS regulations. How can the Amish comply with this program when they feel it will go against what they believe and they do not have electricity.
How about the impoverished who keep a few animals yet can barely afford potato chips, let alone microchips.
Then there is the Santeria religion, legal in the US, where animal sacrifice is practiced (chickens and goats) often in city apartments. Will those animals be reported?
Livestock owners will be under closer surveillance than illegals, drug dealers, convicted six offenders/child molesters. Currently in the USA, only convicted six offenders/child molesters have to register their premises and file movement reports.
“Currently in the USA, only convicted six offenders/child molesters have to register their premises and file movement reports.”
Steve,
Sex offenders only have to register their homes. Livestock owners are the only ones that are also expected to file movement reports. Apparently, my horses are more dangerous than the sex offender since they need closer monitoring.
“Currently in the USA, only convicted six offenders/child molesters have to register their premises and file movement reports.”
Steve,
Sex offenders only have to register their homes. Livestock owners are the only ones that are also expected to file movement reports. Apparently, my horses are more dangerous than the sex offender since they need closer monitoring.
“The only downside to the program is the small number of folks who will attempt, at all costs, to skirt the regulations and compromise the integrity of the traceback protocols.”
It’s more than a small number and that is precisely why this program won’t work. Prohibition didn’t work either. People will refuse to be bullied into compliance.
“The only downside to the program is the small number of folks who will attempt, at all costs, to skirt the regulations and compromise the integrity of the traceback protocols.”
It’s more than a small number and that is precisely why this program won’t work. Prohibition didn’t work either. People will refuse to be bullied into compliance.
The issue of private property rights: In the NAIS document those who own livestock are called “stakeholder” and the land upon which the livestock presides is “premises”. Contracts use certain words for a reason. The lectric law library states that the word premises signifies a formal part of a deed,and is made to designate an estate; to designate is to name or entitle. Therefore a premises has no protection under the United States constitution and has no exclusive rights of the owner tied to it. Black’s Law states ‘premises’ was a tenement or conveyance’. Stakeholder (the term the USDA is using to
identify us) refers to a third party who temporarily holds money or property while its owner is still being determined.
By signing up for NAIS, title to property rights are clouded, basically making the owner little more than a sharecropper.
NAIS is trying to be a one-size-fits-all program yet there is a huge difference between granny’s back yard hens, a pot belly pig in suburbia, horses which are not in the food chain and the multi-billion dollar corporate ag and factory farms, which this program was ultimately made for.
(oh by the way, the factory farms get one lot number per groups of animals, but granny has to microchip every animal she has and report their births, deaths and off-property movements.)
The issue of private property rights: In the NAIS document those who own livestock are called “stakeholder” and the land upon which the livestock presides is “premises”. Contracts use certain words for a reason. The lectric law library states that the word premises signifies a formal part of a deed,and is made to designate an estate; to designate is to name or entitle. Therefore a premises has no protection under the United States constitution and has no exclusive rights of the owner tied to it. Black’s Law states ‘premises’ was a tenement or conveyance’. Stakeholder (the term the USDA is using to
identify us) refers to a third party who temporarily holds money or property while its owner is still being determined.
By signing up for NAIS, title to property rights are clouded, basically making the owner little more than a sharecropper.
NAIS is trying to be a one-size-fits-all program yet there is a huge difference between granny’s back yard hens, a pot belly pig in suburbia, horses which are not in the food chain and the multi-billion dollar corporate ag and factory farms, which this program was ultimately made for.
(oh by the way, the factory farms get one lot number per groups of animals, but granny has to microchip every animal she has and report their births, deaths and off-property movements.)