Mad Cow At Center of Tracking Debate
If cattle in the United States ever started showing up with Mad Cow disease in any significant numbers, the outcry for locating and tracking histories on the impacted animals would probably be over-whelming.
After 9-11, we all recall the sharp elbows that were exchanged over who did and who did not “connect the dots.”
So it’s not surprising that government and industry have been working on a solution for tracking animals. It’s called the National Animal Identification System or just NAIS for short.
At this point, NAIS has managed to work itself into a gray area as a program that is not mandatory, but one that might require you to volunteer for it. For example, if your kid’s 4H animal is going to get into the fair or if you want to sell to certain feedlots.
So now opposition is developing to NAIS. Its being called everything from “the Agriculture Gestapo” to “the Barnyard Big Brother.”
The LA Times last week published a long article on all of this. It reported that:
A Bush administration initiative, the National Animal Identification System is meant to provide a modern tool for tracking disease outbreaks within 48 hours, whether natural or the work of a bio-terrorist. Most farm animals, even exotic ones such as llamas, will eventually be registered. Information will be kept on every farm, ranch or stable. And databases will record every animal movement from birth to slaughterhouse, including trips to the vet and county fairs.
But the system is spawning a grass-roots revolt.
To read the entire story, go here.
We wanted to more fully understand the objections to NAIS. The Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance lists “the problems with NAIS” including:
[] Massive intrusion into people’s lives: individuals will have to provide detailed information about their property, businesses, and their own movements to government and private databases;
[] Burden on property rights: the premises registration number will attach to the land forever, and people’s rights to manage their land and animals will be restricted;
[] High costs: registration, tagging, and reporting all carry costs in both time and money; Loss of small farmers and ranchers: many will be unable to afford the program, or unwilling to accept the government intrusion;
[] Damage to the economy: businesses that rely on small farmers, such as sales barns, supply stores, and even tourism, will be harmed;
[] Reduced choices and increased costs for consumers;
[] Violation of many Americans’ religious beliefs; and
[] Increased government bureaucracy and waste of taxpayer dollars.
We think the Alliance's list of "problems" can be taken apart pretty easily. If costs to the small farmer or rancher are an issue, that can and should be addressed. But NAIS in some form or another is probably needed in the world in which we live.
