Did Obama Really Abandon NAIS

Or is it going to spring up again in some other form?

"After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification System in 15 cities across the country, receiving thousands of comments from the public and input from States, Tribal Nations, industry groups, and representatives for small and organic farmers, it is apparent that a new strategy for animal disease traceability is needed," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "I've decided to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach to animal disease traceability with changes that respond directly to the feedback we heard."

The framework, announced today at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Mid-Year meeting, provides the basic tenets of an improved animal disease traceability capability in the United States. USDA's efforts will:

• Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce;
• Be administered by the States and Tribal Nations to provide more flexibility;
• Encourage the use of lower-cost technology; and
• Be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rulemaking process.

Cattle Groups State Principals on Cattle ID

I found the link to this information on the Livestock Marketing Association website. The actual document is a pdf so... I am sure there is room for improvement here too, but this list of principles makes more sense than many I have read so far. About time someone pointed out that there are already several systems in place to track diseased animals.

"A meeting of cattle organizations representing the beef, dairy and marketing sectors
was held in Kansas City, Missouri, November 4-5, 2009. The participating organizations agreed that a livestock identification plan for the cattle industry should be singularly specie specific because of the diversity in the way cattle are raised, marketed and processed. This system must be based on the following principles:

1. Additional costs to the beef and dairy industry must be minimized.

2. Any information relative to cattle identification information should be under the
control of state animal health officials and be kept confidential.

3. The system must operate at the speed of commerce

4. Brucellosis/Tuberculosis surveillance and control should be the model upon which
to build an interstate movement identification program.

a) Additionally, existing programs within our industry have proven to be
historically successful in livestock identification. These programs should be
recognized and utilized. [The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal
Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) February 2009 study of “Cattle
Identification Practices on U. S. Beef Cow-calf Operations” reported that there
is currently a high level of some form of cattle identification in cow-calf
operations in the United States. The survey of 24 major beef producing states
represented 79.6 percent of U.S. operations with beef cows and 87.8 percent
of U.S. beef cows. The study found that two-thirds of the operations (66.1
percent) used some form of individual identification on at least some cows.
Overall 79.1 percent of all beef cows surveyed were individually identified by
one or more methods, with 58.6 percent of the beef cows using an official
identification, such as a Brucellosis vaccination ear tag.]. Nearly half of the
operations (46.7 percent) used at least one form of individual animal
2 identification on calves, which accounted for 64.8 percent of calves being
individually identified. 61.3 percent of all cattle and calves had some form of
herd identification.]
b) The cattle industry recognizes that improvements can be made to these
programs and is committed to systematically improving the coverage, speed
and accuracy of these processes.

5. Any enhancements of historical identification systems must be phased-in over a
proper time-frame.

6. The first step in improving cattle identification is the individual identification of adult
cattle (breeding age cattle 18 months or older, excluding those going into terminal
feeding channels) by using the historically established federal and state cattle
disease programs as models, such as the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis programs
as they existed prior to any NAIS modifications. The goal is to accomplish this
voluntarily for all adult cattle changing ownership by 2015. (As we accomplish the
adult cattle goal as an industry, we commit to evaluating the phased-in addition of
other ages of cattle based on an industry evaluation of the cost/ benefits, feasibility
and value to continually improving U.S. cattle herd disease surveillance, control
and eradication.)

7. Producers must be protected from liability for acts of others after cattle have left
their control.

8. The purpose should be solely cattle disease surveillance, control and eradication.
The only data required to be collected should be that necessary to accomplish this
goal.

9. Maintain the historical state flexibility allowing State Animal Health Officials
discretion in assigning an identifier for the person responsible for livestock.

10. The 48-hour Foot and Mouth Disease traceback model is currently unachievable.
The goal of this program should be to enable the cattle industry, state and federal
animal health officials to respond rapidly and effectively to animal health
emergencies.

11. Renewed emphasis on preventing the introduction of foreign animal diseases of
concern.

12. We support the flexibility of using currently established and evolving methods of
official identification.

NAIS and Kansas FMD Lab

Two links to Cattle Trader stores.

One is a Chuck Jolley column on the popularity of the National Animal Identification system....or the overwhelming lack of it...



The second discusses the advisability of plopping the nation's animal disease research lab (think foot and mouth disease) down in the middle of Kansas cow country.



****be sure to click the link at the very end of Jolley's column about USDA and the word "no".

More Chuck Jolley on NAIS

Here is the transcript of a Q&A session with Tom Vilsack....(except that it wasn't with Vilsack).
To me it looks like a lot more of the non-answers to important questions that USDA has been tossing around like rotten fruit....however, it would be good if you took a look to see for yourself if you have a chance. Mr. Jolley has provided his email address should you wish to convey to him your take on the session, which in turn may forwarded to the Secretary of Agriculture Food Stamps.

Excellent Arguments Against NAIS

Chuck Jolley interview with Rhonda Perry.
Well worth a read!

What's Up.....

On the farm these days?

Birding is a daily delight. The wrens keep things interesting having fits every time we go out on the sitting porch. Alan says they even chase the hummingbirds away. No problem as there is another feeder they can go to. The male sings and sings, which is a great pleasure to me. We have a couple of sets of mockingbirds and their singing is an intense joy as well. The older male is quite a virtuoso, out cardinaling cardinals and surpassing robins at their own game.




Two calves yesterday, a bull from Sedona and a heifer from Consequence. They are both by the bull, Myrik, a Picston Shottle son. We wouldn't have minded using Shottle himself, but he is plumb out of our price range. We got a good deal on the son though from a nice fellow Liz met at Altamont Fair. We already have one yearling heifer already by him out of my ETrain heifer that is pretty nice.

The two new ones are both nearly all white with tons of speckles. I named the heifer Cameo...will try to get some pics at some point.




The guys got the Case 930 running and are using it now. Here is a video we made of it the other night. It is an amazing old thing.

Corn planting is done. The men will resume haying if it stops raining. What is it with all these cold, wet springs anyhow? As soon as June rolls around it starts raining and once it gets going it just won't quit!

Other than that we have been planting garden between the sprinkles and downpours, doing a lot of cooking, eagerly anticipating the advent of strawberry season and just farming along. The wild grape flowers are over and the pestilential, but incredibly sweet, wild roses are in bloom and the valley is as fragrant as a perfume factory. It is time for ice cream and long, sweet twilights and frogs and fledgelings.

June is my favorite month by the way!


Wow, here is a great piece on the recent protest at a National Animal ID System, or NAIS meeting. I am downright thrilled that mainstream farmers and ranchers are getting on board against this ridiculous, costly and downright dangerous program!

And here is more fun from Craigslist....

"Hi,

A local small farm family, recently helping out a larger rescue are taking care of several sheep and llamas. Looking for sponsors and/or donors to help with a new expanded paddock. We will place a plague to honor any sponsors. Can't keep sheep, adopt one of ours - we care, feed, shelter your sheep, yet you can visit whenever you want. Several lambs to choose from now. "

I wonder if you sponsor a pig they will place swine flu.


Still more....you have to watch this! Obama on my Shoulder


And even more (I feel like I should be on Twitter or something today, as many times as I have edited this post.

This is an actual photograph of an actual check we received today for a 96 pound Holstein bull calf. He was healthy, vigorous and well started. Here is an advertisement for less than one pound of beef jerky. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this ?

Some cogent anti NAIS arguments

....are offered by these ladies. Cattle Network has run a long and aggravating series of pro-NAIS articles, mostly interviewing government folks who are paid to be in favor of it and folks from organizations, which have been paid or coerced to be in favor of it. The ladies interviewed in this other side of the coin rebuttal have made some great arguments here. Some of them are new to me even though I have been following this intently since it reared its ugly head.

Northview girls

Frosting...the heifers are in from the hill

Liquorice ...(I think)

Mandy

Bama Breeze

***Notice that only Bama and Mandy still have ear tags, and all Mandy has is her official USDA tag (required for shows). They ALL had tags like Bama's when they went to pasture. The National Animal ID System, NAIS, will rely on ear tags to trace animals to their source.....what a wonderfully reliable system they are planning.

Taking mandatory NAIS to a whole new level.

Here is the story of a farmer who defied NAIS, so the state came in and RFID tagged his cows under a court order. (What part of voluntary did they miss?State troopers enforcing ear tagging rules? Good grief!) Although I do think we need TB testing, I have to say that I admire Greg Niewendorp for standing up to the government on mandatory RFID tags.

Here is a group that wants to make it easier for farmers to direct market to the public without jumping through all the hoops that government has put in front of small operators. I have mixed emotions about some of this, as we do pasteurize milk for a reason, but still it is interesting. We know of several small turkey farms around here that were utterly defeated in their efforts to supply folks with tasty, home-grown turkeys, because state regulations mandated separate stainless steel pans for every turkey and dozens of other rules intended more to stifle small players than to make meat safer.

Who knew

That the United States had a serious foot and mouth disease scare this summer?

This story proved something something many of the serious farm and ranch bloggers have been saying all along. We don't need NAIS. The pigs in question were imported from Canada, but were still promptly traced to their source, even though they were commingled with a number of others in a slaughterhouse.

NAIS (allegedly) losing steam

(Although maybe only until Hillary has her hand on the throttle.)

According to this story in the Des Moines Register, even Collin Peterson is folding his tent (at least for a while).

"The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., says he has given up on the program until there is a new administration. Peterson once introduced legislation to make animal ID mandatory.

"We have our head in the sand if we think we can get by without having one," he said."

Just call me sandy head I guess, because I sure don't feel any need to do more government paperwork and stick more ineffective tags in my cows' ears. If we do end up, as we probably will, with a different party in the White House next fall, I wonder what will happen to NAIS. I am not eager to find out though.

The answer

"The eartag hole shows how easy those eartags can be lost, even by goofy looking cows."


Lee, a local reader, saw the problem right away in this picture of a cow involved in the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Great Britain. Even though GB has a cumbersome and extremely restrictive National Animal ID System, not only has the disease spread unchecked reaching 8 farms by this time yesterday, but clearly cows over there don't retain tags any better than they do here in the USA. While researching this week's Farm Side I also discovered that the cows on one farm had foot and mouth for four weeks before anyone noticed. Guess the ID system and tags didn't help much there either.

What is wrong

with this picture?


Update: I guess I need to be clearer. I have some great answers, but I specifically mean what is wrong with the picture itself.

***Answer in the comments. First to get it right will get a post with a link tomorrow.*

Anti-NAIS blog

Good stuff here! Watch the videos if you get a chance.

Ear tags and disease

Isn't it amazing that the Holstein Association is in favor of national animal ID?
(Well, no, it isn't all that surprising....They maintain a large and lucrative animal database. They make money by identifying animals. Why wouldn't they support it?) It aggravates me to see them pontificate like this no end though. They prey on the ignorance of the general public to make their point of view seem like the right one. I disagree. Pretty strongly, in fact. England has one of the most restrictive animal ID systems in existence. They still have outbreaks of horrific animal diseases. Ear tags don't stop them.

I defy the proponents of NAIS to explain to me how putting expensive ear tags in cows will stop the spread of foot and mouth disease should it come here to the USA. It blows on the wind, flows with the water, is spread by birds, animals, car tires, and people. You could ear tag every domestic animal in the country and it would still do the same thing. Oh, the government says they could find the animals quicker to "do something about it" (read kill cows...the Brits killed a number of herds that didn't even turn out to have the disease. Tough luck for the cows and farmers). Maybe they could find cows faster. However, ear tagging my cows wouldn't do a darned thing to stop the dozens of deer that ramble all over our farm..and the neighbors' farms...and the Amish farms. It won't stop the wind, or the water, the Thruway or the starlings. It won't stop the disease either.

More reasons to avoid National Animal ID

From Drovers Magazine,
"A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requested by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and released today found weaknesses in USDA’s plan to implement a national animal identification system. Harkin asked GAO to examine USDA’s animal ID plan in November 2005 after concerns were raised that USDA was not effectively implementing the system and not informing producers and livestock market operators how much the system will cost their operations. Harkin is chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry."

More,

• "The USDA lacks a comprehensive cost estimate or cost-benefit analysis for the implementation and maintenance of the animal ID system. In response to GAO’s recommendation to do so, USDA has now entered into a contract to have a cost estimate conducted.
• USDA has not prioritized the implementation of the animal ID system according to economic value of the species or those most at risk for specific animal diseases.
• USDA has not developed a plan to integrate the animal ID system with preexisting animal disease eradication programs for hogs, cattle, sheep or goats, thus duplicating effort and cost to producers.
• USDA has awarded 169 animal ID cooperative agreements totaling $35 million but has failed to adequately monitor the agreements or determine if the intended outcomes, for which the funds were used, were achieved. USDA has also not consistently shared the results of the agreements with state departments of agriculture, industry groups, or other stakeholders to allow them to learn from experience under the cooperative agreements.
• The timeframe for effective animal disease traceback from where animals have been raised is not clearly defined for specific species. Some contagious diseases need to be tracked and identified in a very short amount of time to limit further spread of the animal disease.
• Tracing animals from their original origin will be problematic given that USDA is not requiring critical information, such as the type of animal species, date of birth, or approximate age of animals to be recorded in the animal ID system. This information is necessary to limit the scope of an animal disease investigation.
• USDA has no benchmarks to determine if there is sufficient participation to achieve an effective animal ID system."

Just what farmers and ranchers have been saying all along.

I agree

With R-Calf

Wanna feel a little insulted?

If you are a farmer that is, and not too fond of NAIS (National Animal Identification System)? Just read this story on Cattle Network.com. and you will get the idea.

Especially the part about reading to farmers at the sixth grade level.

"....As described by the USDA, these “key messages” “are organized into topic categories and supported with concise sentences. They are designed for an audience reading at the sixth grade level.” (Handbook, p. 41.)"

Dang. Sixth grade. It has been a while.

"Staff are advised not to “invest[ ] time” in “Anti-NAIS producers” and instead “locate and motivate more favorable individuals” (p. 9). While staff are to tell farmers that participation in premises ID will not compel them to participate in either individual animal ID or animal tracking (Handbook, p. 42), at the same time, staff are to pursue the second and third components of NAIS, “adoption of animal ID and tracing,” during 2007. (NAIS Outreach bulletin, Feb. 2007, p. 1)."

I can't help it. My feelings are hurt.


***Update....Here is a story on the human form of NAIS

567 Purebred cattle killed by bookkeeping

Just in case you think National Animal Identification is harmless read this story about a farmer in Great Britain whose records are alleged to be not quite up to snuff...so they killed all his cows on him.

Imagine half a million pounds worth of purebred dairy cattle butchered at a "secret location". Imagine not even paying the farmer for his loss. As in, hey buddy, you are out of business, too bad for you....all because of violations which have not been proved, and with no crime being charged. To me it is a signal to every livestock owner in the US, whether you own two back yard chickens or 10, 000 milk cows, to maintain your vigilance against NAIS. Don't let them pretend that it is voluntary and don't believe that it isn't going to hurt you.

Here we go again...mandatory NAIS

Just as the USDA kinda, sorta, maybe caved into pressure from farmers and ranchers and made National Animal ID a voluntary program, some **&^%$( in Congress wants to go back to a mandatory program.