The concept is being spread all over the Net that dairy farmers are in favor of mandatory NAIS, the national animal ID system.
I have very harsh words for that idea and I really, really, really would like to print them here.
Just think about the inevitable byproduct of the male bovine digestive process, the one that has the initials, BS, and you will have my opinion on making NAIS mandatory. As has been repeatedly proven, we can already trace cows and other livestock and we can trace them quickly. How long did it take them to find out where the first BSE cow in Washington came from? No time at all. And they keep touting stopping mad cow disease as an excuse for this intrusive program. A big waste of time. We already have more safeguards in place than we need. For Heaven's sake you are much more likely to be struck by lightning while riding an elephant in the circus than to contact BSE.
The groups that are making this claim are not dairy farmers. They are mostly folks who sell ear tags and maintain for-fee databases of animals. It is just a case of follow the money. Take for example the Holstein Association, Holstein USA. One of the things they do is maintain the registry for the purebred Holstein herd in this country. Another thing they do is sell ear tags and keep records on the critters that wear them. Of course they want to force everyone into a position where they have to buy their products.
And the whole ear tag thing is a sad and sorry joke anyhow. Please take a minute, click on this link and read this story about the cost of tags and their efficacy.
However, IDairy is in Washington telling Congress that I want mandatory ID on our cows. They claim the idea of buying expensive tags that the cows will promptly lose in the feed throughs and maintaining records of every time one moves anywhere is my plan for a good day. They are lying. I swear I am about ready to cancel my membership in Holstein USA. I already pay them for three memberships for family members, plus a good chunk of change for every calf born on the place. Now they want me to pay them to keep track of and tag cows that we already keep track of and tag. Bull byproducts to them!!
This kind of program should be MARKET DRIVEN. If consumers want meat and eggs from micro chipped, ear tagged, tattooed, pass ported animals they should pay a premium for such products. I assure you, if there is money to be made in the marketplace by tagging cows or keeping track of every time they take a breath, farmers and ranchers will do what it takes to get the money. However, what the government wants is for those same farmers to pay for the program whether anybody gives a hoot about it or not. Bah!
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11 comments:
Gggrrrr!! I'll keep it at that since this is a family blog.
I'm not a farmer or rancher, but this sounds like just another money making scheme by the government and a way to take more money from the folks in agriculture.
You, go girl! If you want to go to Washington to shout, Ill pull your little red wagon! Promice... Umm... how do you think they would feel if everyone decided not to renew their memberships this year to make a point??? Need to hit them in the backside (where the wallet is)!
Boy do I agree with you! What a mess. This last year the kids couldn't even show in the stock shows here without signing up with mandatory NAIS.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Grrrrrrrr is right and it is just a bunch of burecratic B.S. How many non productive jobs can a single cow pay for? It makes me wild the crap they've pushed through here in Canada and it hasn't and won't do one lick of good expect to pay somebody for producing NOTHING.
Hear, Hear!!!
I REALLY like Willow Witch's idea. If everybody canceled with Holstein USA, they wouldn't have much clout anymore, would they?
Maybe you could start a petition? At the very least, get the farmers to contact their reps in Washington to counter the lies.
I'm with you - it's CRAP! I just plain refuse to do it....it's absolutely ridiculous! Microchip chickens? You have to be kidding? Your absolutely right - it's just about the money.....farmers spending more not making more.
The only way we are going to make this go away is by farmer's standing together and saying "NO". Enough is enough. We can make it happen - I don't believe farmers' have any reps in washington anymore....like everything else they are controlled by their own agenda's and money.
I was a small beef producer for several (12) years. Got out of the business because the govt kept getting in the way. It looks like they're still getting in the way.
When are they gonna learn that the best thing the govt can do for agriculture is just to leave it alone?
Dani, grrr says it all
Ed, that is about what it is. Plus a move by processors to place any potential blame for things like e coli contamination on the farms where animals originated rather than at their plants where problems usually originate.
WW, it is maddening when people we pay good money to represent us so poorly
LInda, all the dairy farmers here have been signed up whether they want to be or not.
Linda, it hasn't changed anything anywhere that it has been introduced and all they do is lie!
akagaga, I suspect I will at least write another Farm Side about it next week. I have been arguing against it literally for years. Every time I think its dead it is resurrected!
Deb, seems like this time it is small farmers carrying the ball. I hope somebody listens but I suspect we are about to be embroiled in yet another huge and pointless bureaucratic boondoggle.
Pawpaw, it is getting uglier every year. In time when there is nobody left but giant mega farms owned or controlled by processors somebody may wake up...too late for small independent producers. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Aaargh! Just reading, I could feel the saliva build up into spit form. I spit on NAIS.
You write it best, threecollie. I'm going to forward this to some people I know, they will empathize as well.
Teri, I honestly thought the mandatory business was dead..."USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Veterinary Services (APHIS-VS) has canceled a memorandum mandating premises registration under the National Animal Identification System for producers involved in interstate commerce and in any of the federally regulated disease programs, according to R-CALF USA." was posted on the Meatingplace on Dec. 30th. Somebody lied....or some new somebodies with no understanding of the ongoing debate came on board. Makes me sick
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