Thread: NAIS: Farmers and Ranchers Under Attack

NAIS: Farmers and Ranchers Under Attack

By Dana Gabriel

http://www.borderfirereport.net/dana-ga ... attack.php

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a federal program which enjoys the support of large corporate agribusiness farms. It consists of premises registration, as well as animal identification and tracing. It remains voluntary, but some states have taken measures to mandate certain elements of the program. There has been strong opposition from small farmers and ranchers who view NAIS as a threat to privacy and property rights. Full implementation would also be expensive and could put many out of business. NAIS is unfair and by all accounts, would be ineffective. It is yet another way to squeeze out small family farmers and further monopolize America's food production.

NAIS is made up of several different components. In order to receive a premises identification number, information about the location of your animals is required, along with contact information. The next part of the program involves farm animals being tagged with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. Some are adamantly opposed to any electronic registration and have went so far as to describe NAIS as letting Big Brother into the barn. There is also the cost factor which would place further financial burden on small farmers and ranchers who would be required to tag each individual animal. Some would have no choice but to sell some of their animals, if NAIS becomes mandatory. Others may be forced out of business. Large scale factory farms support NAIS because it would create a livestock database which would be especially beneficial for exporting purposes. In a past article entitled Stop the NAIS, Congressman Ron Paul writes, “NAIS means more government, more regulations, more fees, more federal spending, less privacy, and diminished property rights.â€

Big Brother aka BB, pay attention to the foods and goods coming into our country and stay away from OUR domestic farms and organic gardens.

This is where Big Brother is in bed with Big Business........sounds like Monsanto advocates are behind this "gem" ( sarcastic) legislation........

Info on NAIS and action alert.


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Latest alert: May 8: USDA Listening Session in Austin! All of our email alerts are available here.
Click here for more information on USDA's listening sessions on NAIS

Spread the Word: Educational Materials
If you have problems downloading materials, email info@farmandranchfreedom.org.

Flyer (nationwide, Jan. 200 - Download this 2-sided flyer to hand out at auction barns, farmers markets, co-ops, horse shows, and anywhere else animal owners or consumers gather. The front is a flyer and the back is a sample letter and has contact information for key Congressmen. If you want a version of this flyer tailored for your state, contact us.

The NAIS: Background and Key Issues – This 2-page document provides a summary of what the NAIS is and what are the major problems. This makes a great handout for both the general public and legislators.

Top 10 Myths – This addresses some of the major points of confusion about the NAIS. It makes a great in-depth handout to use together with the Background and Key Issues handout.

Pass on the excellent Op/Ed written by Shannon Hayes and published in the New York Times! Link to the article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/opini ... ef=opinion or read the longer version here

Follow the Money! - attached is a spreadhseet compiled from information on USASpending.gov showing the tax dollars that USDA has spent on cooperative agreements with states, tribes, and private industry to implement NAIS. More money has also been spent by USDA directly and on related programs (such as WLIC funding).

FARFA also has trifold brochures available. Please contact us at 866-687-6452 or info@farmandranchfreedom.org, to request copies.
Political Action

State Action

In Texas:
To contact your state representative and senator: www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/ or call the Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630
To contact the Governor: www.governor.state.tx.us/contact
To contact the Lieutenant Governor: www.ltgov.state.tx.us/

In Tennessee:
To contact your state representative and senator: www.legislature.state.tn.us/

In Louisiana:
To contact your state representative and senator: http://www.legis.state.la.us/

Other States: State-by-state analysis and action steps at www.libertyark.net

Model state legislation (2007). In cooperatin with the grassroots movement across the country, we helped develop model legislation. Take this one-page outline of key points with you when you meet with legislators.

National Action

To contact your U.S. Representative, go to www.house.gov/writerep/
To find your U.S. Senator, go to www.senate.gov/ and enter your state in the box on the top right corner of the page.

Click here to see your legislators' voting record.

Talking Points: Click here for talking points for calls and meetings. The points mention Texas and Texas bills, but can be easily adapted for any state. You can use these points when you talk to local, state, and federal officials. Or use them to create a personalized letter.

Local Action: Ask an organization to which you belong to sign FARFA's position statement. This position statement tells the legislators -- both state and federal -- that groups of people are opposed to NAIS and the basic reasons why. Current signatories to the position statement: FARFA, Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Weston A Price Foundation, Mountain States Texas Longhorn Association, Solitaire Ranch.

Find out whether your breed registry or livestock association plans to require NAIS participation -- click here!

Ask your City Council or County Commissioners to adopt a resolution opposing NAIS. Download the proposed resolution and guidelines on how to get the resolution adopted, including supporting arguments. Counties and cities that have adopted similar resolutions: Harrison, Mills, Mason, Blanco and Bandera Counties, and the City of Marshall.

Sample letters

Use these letters as a tool in writing your state and federal elected officials. Be sure to personalize your letter! Legislators pay little attention to form letters
Texas sample letter
Sample letter for all states
Sample letter to Congress, asking for hearings to investigate NAIS

Petitions

Hard copy-petitions have more impact than online petitions. Click here to print out a petition. Collect signatures and make a copy. Send the original to: Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, 8308 Sassman Rd, Austin, TX, 78747 and keep the copy for yourself. In July 2007, we delivered 1,400 pages of signatures to the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Agriculture Appropriations. Help us deliver thousands more in 2008!
Join FARFA

If you are not yet a member of FARFA, please consider joining us!

Becoming a member of FARFA helps the fight against the NAIS. Your membership fees help fund FARFA's work - but even more importantly, more members means the government pays more attention to what we have to say. Legislators frequently ask how many members do we have, They want to know why they should listen to us. We have the truth and facts on our side. BUT WE NEED MEMBERS TO CONVINCE THE LEGISLATORS THAT THEY SHOULD LISTEN TO THOSE FACTS!

And, of course, we need money to continue our education and lobbying efforts.

In the past three years, we have:
• researched and developed informational materials: flyers, sample letters, brochures, the popular "Top 10 Myths", and more in-depth pieces
• distributed over 300,000 pages of those materials to the public
• worked directly with legislators to develop bills for both State legislatures and Congress
• lobbied Congress in DC
• had booths at fairs and events in Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia to spread the word
• provided advice and materials to people in dozens of states to educate the public, organize meetings, pass county-level resolutions, and lobby state legislators
• hosted public meetings in Texas, Tennessee, and Louisiana, some of which have drawn over 200 people and received both newspaper and television coverage
• written articles for multiple publications to reach those who do not have internet access

HELP US TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND THESE EFFORTS! With more money, we could also start paying for ads in those agricultural journals that are only printing stories from Agri-Business and the Government. We have to reach the thousands of people who are only hearing one side of the issue!

What will it cost you if the NAIS is implemented?

We are gaining momentum in this fight, but we have a long way to go. Please help us to continue this important work by joining today. Visit our membership page.
Useful links

Liberty Ark Coalition citizens’ action tools: http://www.libertyark.net/tools.shtml

Grassroots activism: This website has a lot of good, practical suggestions for how to organize a grassroots movement. While it is on a different topic than NAIS, the strategies are helpful. http://www.geaction.org/new.html
©2007 Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance · 8308 Sassman Rd · Austin, TX 78747 · Tel. 866.687.6452 · Contact Us


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