Vote on NAIS at Beefmagazine.com

[BlackWillowFarm]

Hope it's okay to cross post this from another forum. I think it's important to get the word out.


Beef Magazine is running a NAIS poll and asking producers to vote for Mandatory/ Voluntary/ or Scrap NAIS.
Please vote at: http://beefmagazine.com/
__________________
~Carla~
http://farmercarl.blogspot.com/
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[Micheal]

Well, I cast my vote!
Results so far 52% mandatory, 47% scrapped, and 0% voluntary
Personally, I think it should be required for commerical beef, not for home raised animals where it's for personal consumption. But hey, that's my opinion!

[sssarawolf]

The currant system works just great the NAIS is not needed.

[haypoint]

Oh, please tell me the specifics of "current system".
There isn't any "current system". There is no effective way to find out what farm my sick cows came from beyond the sale barn. None.
Animals raised for home consumption don't have to be tagged. It is only the animals that leave the farm and go to another's place that get tagged. So, if you could be assured that home raised livestock don't need to be tagged, you'd be in favor of a manditory system? Or would you simply add another reason to maintain a anti-NAIS position?

[TexasArtist]

Here's what it says when I voted. Thanks for posting this.

Should USDA’s National Animal Identification System (as currently proposed) be:

mandatory: 41%
voluntary: 0%
scrapped : 58%

[arabian knight]

But at only 14,000+ voting that is a very very small fraction and won't show a true percentage. And how many anti folks voted more then once and then passing it on Just To Anti nais people which is skewing the data even more.

[BlackWillowFarm]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

....... And how many anti folks voted more then once and then passing it on Just To Anti nais people which is skewing the data even more.

Huh?

So what you're saying is you think only anti-NAIS people will vote more than once and not the pro-NAIS people?

Of course only the anti-NAIS people would do that, right?

Maybe the poll is a small, unscientific, sample of what "we the people" feel about NAIS". Ya think?

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

But at only 14,000+ voting that is a very very small fraction and won't show a true percentage. And how many anti folks voted more then once and then passing it on Just To Anti nais people which is skewing the data even more.

Polls on the net dont let the same same pc vote twice. Your pc has an ID thats recorded.

[arabian knight]

It still can be skewed by anti folks just sending it to Anti Sites which in by itself are misinformed and sensationalized.

[ksfarmer]

Originally Posted by RiverPines

Polls on the net dont let the same same pc vote twice. Your pc has an ID thats recorded.

I just voted 3 times,,,,,,must not record my ID. Oh, by the way, I voted it should be mandatory.

[haypoint]

I've followed this anti-NAIS movement for awhile.
It seems that those that see the need for a cheap, quick, accurate way to track diseased livestock aren't as likely to create a web site in favor of it, don't organize write in campaigns for it, don't pass along sensational beliefs in favor of NAIS and overall don't make it their life's work to promote it.
However....................
Oh, why even write it. This horse has been beat to death a thousand times over already.
If you research the actual facts, not the propaganda, you'd see that the information this poll is seeking has already been done.
The owners of most of the livestock in this country are in favor of NAIS. There is a strong opposition to NAIS by a fairly small group of folks that own a relatively small percentage of the livestock in this country. Much of that opposition is fueled by mis information and lies from NONAIS.com and RCALF.com (that might not be the correct initials).
Similar to a religion, people base their beliefs not on facts but on the faith that what they read in the grail of NONAIS and no amount of facts will pry them from their beliefs.

[Micheal]

haypoint - just a question, since you've "been following" this.
Please correct me if'n I wrong.
So if this does pass and become law:

I will not need to register any animal raised for home consumption as long as it or it's product (like eggs) are NOT sold.
That is unless I take it to a slaughter-house to be butchered because they are going to be required to record the animal's registration number. Which would mean that I WILL have to register at least some of my animals.

Have I got it correct???????

[haypoint]

You will not be required to tag your chickens, even if you do sell eggs. You may be required to let the USDA know you have chickens and that may require listing where you bought your chickens. If you take away the fear/hate of all things government, you can see the various situations where the information would be needed. There are a few poultry diseases that this country has tried to keep from spreading. Knowing the names and locations of the places where you bought poultry is needed to track down other potentially infected birds.

Parts of Michigan have been following the USDA model for NAIS for nearly a decade. All of Michigan has been following NAIS for over a year. The cattle that are sold for commercial slaughter generally are sold thru one of the many livestock auctions. They need to have a tag because of the change of ownership. The slaughterhouses scan the tag so the cow can come off the data base. The local places that slaughter cattle do not have a USDA inspector on site so that meat can't be sold on the open market, it is marked "for Farm use only, not for resale". Those cows do not need to have an ear tag.
You may need to have a premise number and let USDA know you have cattle so that in the event of some sort of disease emergency, you'd be included in the warning, testing, quarantines, etc.
So in answer to your question, Micheal, no.

[WeaverRose]

"The owners of most of the livestock in this country are in favor of NAIS"
REally, you've spoken to them all?? What a fabulous job you're doing speaking for everyone.

[Ohiogal]

Right now its a 2/1 vote AGAINST Nais on that website. If that is indicative of American farmers - large and small, then they need to admit that and move forward. I don't care what other states are doing, let them give up their rights. I won't give up mine that easily!

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by WeaverRose

"The owners of most of the livestock in this country are in favor of NAIS"
REally, you've spoken to them all?? What a fabulous job you're doing speaking for everyone.

Well I have not only talked to a bunch but also my landlord who milks 60 cows. And even he is in favor of it as he says just one more piece of paper to fill out that is all, as I asked him whether or not I should do the premises ID on the few acres I am renting from him.
His was go ahead no big deal and he went to many meetings that were held around the State.
Now I have also for 3 years at the very start of Premises ID coming to WI. I went to "The World Dairy Expo". Which is held each and every year in Madison, WI.
Not ONE anti person was there, not ONE booth handing out anti material, Period. They were all for it.

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by haypoint

The owners of most of the livestock in this country are in favor of NAIS

Maybe in your part of the country, but not here in Eastern Washington. The Cattleman's Assn. is spearheading the fight against NAIS. And a bunch of us "little" guys are backing them up.

Since NAIS would force me to register my tiny non-commercial farm, I simply can't see why it should be mandatory. If I remain non-compliant, my animals could never be entered in the local fairs (not that I bother much with that nowadays), I would probably be prohibited from giving away eggs, & I couldn't take animals to the vet. (Yes, I am one of those poultry fanatics who has taken birds to the vet!)

I "voted" for NAIS to be voluntary. For those who export cattle, etc it's a fine thing. It would give foreign buyers the assurance - however illusory - that the animals they are buying are disease free.

[Patt]

I voted and it looks like the anti's are quickly pulling ahead! Maybe AK should go post a bunch of pro-votes.....

Thanks for your opinion. Total Votes: 23192
Should USDA’s National Animal Identification System (as currently proposed) be:

•mandatory: 25%
•voluntary: 0%
•scrapped : 73%

[Patt]

It is interesting nobody at all has voted voluntary, it's all or nothing.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

Maybe in your part of the country, but not here in Eastern Washington. The Cattleman's Assn. is spearheading the fight against NAIS. And a bunch of us "little" guys are backing them up.

Since NAIS would force me to register my tiny non-commercial farm, I simply can't see why it should be mandatory. If I remain non-compliant, my animals could never be entered in the local fairs (not that I bother much with that nowadays), I would probably be prohibited from giving away eggs, & I couldn't take animals to the vet. (Yes, I am one of those poultry fanatics who has taken birds to the vet!)

I "voted" for NAIS to be voluntary. For those who export cattle, etc it's a fine thing. It would give foreign buyers the assurance - however illusory - that the animals they are buying are disease free.

It's not so much about exporting livestock - tho that is part of it. It is about keeping a big disease threat a small issue, rather than a big issue.

If we get a mad cow, or hoof & mouth, or other really bad animal disease here in the USA, it pretty much shuts down the whole food process until the source & area of the outbreak are found.

If nais were welcomed & used by most people and kept up with it, it would help keep these terrible diesease outbreaks small, rather than large. The idea is the quicker one can trace the source of a disease, the easier it is to confine that disease to a small area of the country - a few counties perhaps.

If it takes 2-4 weeks to figure out where the disease came from, then it will have had time to spread to 1/4 of the country. Little chance to really control it then, we'd need a very intensive and serious de-population of all our livestock, and start over. As Great Britan & Canada have gone through. Terrible.

I don't know that nais would work or not. It is a lot of paperwork, and when started it depended on people actually caring about our food supply, caring about their neighbors, and keeping up honestly with the paperwork. The idea was if 10 or 20 people got their herd quarenteened, that would be a lot better than 1/4 of the country getting their herd quarenteened & no one buying that type of food. The thought was that people raising livestock actually cared about other people, and would work _for_ such a good goal.

Obviously, a lot of bad info is out there on nais. It is impossible to debunk the misinformation many have here - they simpley believe what they believe, and do not want to be bothered with facts.

As such, nais likely will not work. It would have needed most livestock owners to care about other people, and be willing to do alittle paperwork now & then to make it work. Nais probably would sit on a computer & be unused for a decade - no big disease outbreak, not bother to even look at it.


I understand some of the complaints against nais. It is more intrusive into small 10 acre farms than it is in a 1000+ head farm. It won't work 100% of the time even if we all were for it. Paperwork gets mixed up & mistakes will be made. Wildlife & such will still spread these types of diseases. And govt likes to expand & expand, so surely there will be pressure from time to time to expand the use of the database for other govt projects.

But the intent of nais was to give livestock growers an additional check & balance on livestock diseases. It was thought most folk would want to be a part of keeping all our animals healthier. It was designed with a lot of 'average person' input on how to make it easier, simpler, and workable.

It is unfortunate most of the small 10 acre folk did not bother to work with it from the beginning, and help to make it more user-friendly for them.



The only really dumb thing is to think that nais would work, or do anything, or help any person or animal, if it were _voluntary_. For good reason, very few vote for that option.

Nais would only work if nearly everyone with livestock were part of the program. With only 2/3 or 3/4 of the people being a part of nais - it is _worthless_.

If you are voting for "voluntary" you do not understand the program at all, and probably should not be voting until you understand the point of it.

I can understand you voting against it. That's cool.

I can understand voting for it. That's cool.

But voluntary? Why? It is 100% worthless if it voluntary. It can't work at all if it's voluntary.

--->Paul