Here is a email I received today from my yahoo group on NAIS (NY):
USDA/APHIS released 'The National Animal Identification System: A guide for the Small-Scale or Non-Commercial Producers' on June 2, 2006.
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/..._Smal_NonComme
rcial_6_2_06.pdf
Very clever attempt to counter all the objections made thus far. They certainly contradict themselves many times over. I just hope people see through it.
On page 3 they state:
<< USDA continues to seek and receive feedback and recommendations from all producers as we determine, along with States and industry, how we will proceed with the system. We encourage stakeholders to make suggestions about NAIS by contacting the working group(s) for the species of animal(s) they raise. The working group information is on the left side of the NAIS Web page (
www.usda.gov/nais); under “Browse by Audience” click the “Select a Working Group” dropdown button. Stakeholders can also submit comments to a particular working group via e-mail at
animalidcomments@aphis.usda.gov. Please include the species name and the term “working group” in the subject line of your e-mail.
>>
Now is the time for people to demand fair and equal representation on the ESWG. Speak now or forever hold your peace! You have no one to blame but yourself if you choose to accept the current make-up of the ESWG! Remember the statistics of this group, which can be found on the petition here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/424168054. Remember that this group has been very pro-active regarding microchipping all horses. And, remember that the WA chapter of Back Country Horseman has taken a pro-NAIS stance so does that mean their national office has done the same? I have not found anything pro or con from their national organization but it makes me very nervous that the ONE representative on the ESWG who was thought to represent the majority of horse owners in the USA might be pro-NAIS after all.
Continuing on down page 3:
<< PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
• The purpose of the NAIS is to protect U.S. agriculture by enhancing our emergency response capabilities. The system will enable us to address urgent animal health concerns as quickly and effectively as possible.
• Participation in the NAIS is voluntary. First and foremost, USDA wants to build a
cooperative system that is valuable to all producers and that producers want to be a part of. There are no enforcement mechanisms or penalties related to the NAIS.
>>
It appears they are trying to separate themselves from what occurred in the state of Texas yet who was really responsible for that? Texas was just following through with the strong language in the original Draft Standards.
continuing on with this section:
<< • Household pets (e.g., cats and dogs) are not covered by the NAIS.
• The NAIS covers only cattle and bison, cervids (e.g., deer and elk); goats; horses; camelids (e.g., llamas and alpacas); poultry; sheep; and swine.
>>
There it is in black and white - horses WILL be included. So if you haven't written to the ESWG with your suggestions/concerns, now is the time!
on page 7:
<< 4. Why should horses be included in NAIS?
NAIS is intended for use in responding to any highly contagious animal health concern among U.S. livestock and poultry. Horses can be infected with and transmit diseases of interest such as streptococcus equi (strangeles), equine infectious anemia (swamp fever), rhinopneumonitis (Herpes II), salmonellosis, and vesicular stomatitis, among many other diseases. NAIS could allow USDA to quickly contain and eradicate a disease before it spreads outside a given area.
>>
Has our current system of vaccination and quarantine not been adequate? I am not aware of any of the above diseases running rampant through the horse population in the USA. And salmonella? Come on! ENFORCE proper food processing/handling - don't try to make excuses for their failure to ENFORCE existing regulations by throwing horses in there as a possible cause for this disease!
They may claim they are trying to keep costs down but this is a very expensive system that I still do not see the need for when it comes to horses or the small farmer who sells locally/regionally.
One last point from page 9:
<< 11. Will NAIS require that all livestock animals be microchipped?
No. The rumor that USDA will require all animals — ranging from livestock to chicks — to have microchips is false.
With regard to the question of how an animal could be identified (i.e., ear tag, tattoo,
microchip, leg-banding), USDA has remained neutral. On this point, we respect the needs of different producers and different species groups. We recognize that such questions should not be answered for producers; instead, such questions would best be resolved by producers themselves.
For more information about providing input to the NAIS species-specific working groups, see the introduction at the top of this document.
>>
I rest my case about the need to have fair and equal representation on the ESWG. As I said earlier, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Karen
