Iowa Farmer Today

Sara Eggerss has registered her premises as part of the National Animal Identification System, and has also tagged calves through a program with the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. She works at the Shelby Veterinary Clinic and says the clinic has also worked with producers to register for the program.
IFT photo by Jeff DeYoung

Editor’s note: On Nov.. 22, the Bush administration pledged not to make a planned National Animal Identification System mandatory. However, that has not derailed movement toward a voluntary tracking system. This week, Iowa Farmer Today and Lee Agri-Media take an indepth look at the status of the 3-year-old effort.

SHELBY -- It’s a late-November afternoon, and the pending sunset is simply a rumor as clouds cover the western horizon.

Sara Eggerss tends to her small Polled Hereford herd as a cold front starts to push the unseasonably warm temperatures away. The Western Iowa producer knows change is coming, and she says it’s smart to be ready for it.

“It’s here, so you need to be prepared,” Eggerss says.

She could be talking about the weather, but the Shelby County producer is talking about the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

The plan was launched by the USDA in the wake of the first report of (mad-cow disease) on Dec. 23, 2003.

The cow that stole Christmas that year brought U.S. beef exports to a screeching halt. Market prices dropped steeply at first, only to recover strongly thanks to steadfast consumer confidence in beef and a proactive response by the U.S. cattle industry.

Now, nearly three years later, the USDA is hoping to have the premises of most of the U.S. livestock producers registered by January 2008. Heading into early December, about 24 percent of the premises have been registered.

The USDA is asking producers of all types of species to register their premises with their respective state ag departments. This entails not only hogs, cattle, sheep and poultry, but also more non-traditional species, such as elk, bison and horses, among others.

When a premise is registered, the USDA will have access to that information in case of a disease emergency. USDA Secretary Mike Johanns insists the government will not seek producer information unless needed.

Producers also are being asked to voluntarily participate in the NAIS.

More detailed information from registered producers will be gathered in private databases, such as those kept by state agencies, breed associations or commodity groups. Concerns over confidentiality prompted the USDA to privatize the system, Johanns says.

Eggerss registered her premises about a year ago. She recently sold a few bulls and tagged those through the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

She also works at the Shelby Veterinary Clinic, which she says has registered and encourages its clients to do so.

“A year ago, we sent out premises-identification forms to our cattle producers, and I think that really helped get them registered,” Eggerss says.

“But, while a lot of them have registered their premises, very few have gone with the ID tags like I have. They are hesitant to have the government involved.”

Eggerss says the fact the program is voluntary has helped. Three years ago, the USDA planned to make the NAIS mandatory, but producer resistance pushed the agency into a voluntary program.

That was the right decision, says Mike John, a producer from Huntsville, Mo., and president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

“If there are end users like foreign trading partners, retailers, etc., who feel there is value in having a voluntary system, that is the only way producers are going to see any economic benefit,” he says.

“With technology still in the infancy stage, it’s ridiculous to try and implement that kind of program where the people paying the cost of it are not getting any kind of benefit. With a voluntary program, producers are going to get paid for it.”

But, does the federal government need to be involved in animal identification?

Bill Bullard, CEO of RCALF-USA in Billings, Mont., says rather than starting a new program, the USDA should make use of current programs, such as disease-eradication and branding programs.

He says members can support a voluntary animal health trace-back system, but it must ensure individual data is protected.

“There has been a system in place for years with the brucellosis program,” Bullard says.

“We have many members who are part of a bovine identification program for exports. We have 17 states with branding programs.

“We believe USDA should pay more attention to those types of programs.”

John and Bullard also believe state officials should hold premises information.

“We really believe the state premises registration program can stand alone,” John says.

“You basically have a unique number that is attached to your geographical location. With this, if there is a problem in your area, the state is going to be able to contact you quickly if there is a disease issue.

“I understand people are concerned about privacy, but when Google develops a system where someone can type in your address or phone number and get a map to your residence within seconds, we have really lost that kind of privacy.”

John says being able to trace an affected animal within 48 hours will be valuable to all producers.

“The question is, does this help protect me from losses to my operation, and the answer is yes,” he says. “That makes it valuable to me.”

Eggerss also sees the value, not only for larger producers, but also for smaller operations.

“I think right now, while people are aware of the program, they just don’t know a lot about it, so it’s up to the industry to make people better informed,” she says.

“When I talk to people, I tell them to get started on it. Registering your premises takes very little time and does not cost you anything.

“I really think that once people understand the premises registration, they will participate. Beyond that, once they get to the ID stage, I’m not so sure, but we need to get the information out to people so they can make that decision.”

Comments »

steves wife wrote on Jun 16, 2008 5:55 PM:

" Western Horseman magazine recently ran a poll on NAIS...over 90% against. Will the USDA listen? Of course not. Not when their pockets are being lined with YOUR tax dollars to make the program mandatory.

I can only equate NAIS with someone wanting to throw a rattlesnake in my living room, telling me it is a puppy that will not bite, but all my eyes, ears and senses are telling me that this is a dangerous animal that I want no part of!

Like Pres. Reagan said the two scariest sentences are
"I'm From the Government, and I'm Here to Help You"

Please check out these websites and organizations fighting NAIS. (national animal identification system) The research contained within them is from reading the NAIS document.
http://www.nonais.org/ http://www.tofga.org/ http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/ http://libertyark.net/ http://arkansasanimalproducers.8k.com/ http://www.vicfa.net/
http://ny-hpan.org http://www.naisinfocentral.net "

Gale Combs wrote on May 17, 2008 6:23 PM:

" When names and addreses are from data mining (MA has over 200%) I do not consider NAIS VOLUNTARY.

This program has nothing to do with food safety:

The CDC estimates 76 million a year get sick from food. 325,000 are hospitalized and about 5,000 die.

FDA data shows you are three times more likely to eat dangerous pesticide residues on imported foods.

In imported foods the FDA has found illegal pesticides, parasites, diseases, unknown and unapproved drugs, and unsafe color additives,,,, Vibrio, caused by seafood, increased 78% in last 10 years.

WHAT HAS THE USDA DONE ABOUT THIS?
Texas A&M University, using USDA data, reports: A monetary trade surplus was created by EXPORTING USA HIGH QUALITY beef products and IMPORTING LOW QUALITY beef products.

The USDA has decrease the inspection of imported food from 8.0% to 0.6% WHILE IMPORTS HAVE DOUBLED SINCE THE MID NINETIES.

At Hallmark/Westland:....the report shows USDA inspections were NEVER DONE UNANNOUNCED and plant managers told staff to refrain from inhumane handling practices when the inspectors were present.

U.S. Department of Agriculture plant protection and quarantine officers have been indicted on charges that they allowed infested agricultural products into the U.S. from Mexico.

This program has nothing to do with security:

A recent raid on a slaughter house found 76% of the employees used false social security numbers. Three of the illegals were from the middle east.

The United States has announced that it is planning to help Egypt build a border fence along the Gaza-Egypt border. Washington transferred $23 million worth of special aid to the North African nation as part of its assistance in locating smuggling tunnels...yet the authorized fence across the Mexican border remains unbuilt.

Since food safety and security are obviously not the real reason for NAIS what is?

Nais was brought to the United States by a UN affiliated NGO. Once control of livestock is taken from the owners the United Nations has plans....

The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution and loss of biodiversity

World Conservation Union (IUCN)
http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm

Private land ownership is a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice...Public control of land use is therefore indispensable. ..." So declared a U.N. document signed by then US delegation head and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Carla A. Hills.

I strongly urge anyone interested in keep America able to feed itself to oppose NAIS and the UN,s hidden agenda for outsourcing America,s food production to third world countries.

"

Brenda wrote on Apr 24, 2008 10:46 AM:

" As a cattle producer myself I have decided to not participate in this. It just isn't cost efficient yet and its like having the government trying to act as big brother. I don't want them telling me how to operate my herd when I've been at it for over 20 years. I am very careful to keep accurate records of my cattle including where they are sold, who to and health records. No animal leaves my herd unless it is 100% healthy. The slightest sniffle, sneeze, etc, the animal doesn't go any where and immediately gets treated. I have health papers for all animals I have ever had including ones that have been sold. So why do I have to partipate in this program when I have been doing this sort of tracking for years? I can go back generations in my cattle herd and tell you their history and life story. There isn't a reason except for the government acting like it wants to control my operation. Ain't gonna happen folks. Good cattle producers already keep accurate records. "

Elizabeth Jane wrote on Apr 19, 2008 1:48 AM:

" NAIS is for the good of the people? Come on wake up America-think of this, if USDA controls all the farms, they also control all the meat, they decide who eats, and how much will be paid for it. Now imagine this scenario: all the smaller farms squeezed out one by one across the nation, (in the name of protecting against some disease-that may or may not actually exist)-and then we are left with 2 or 3 huge farms to feed our country-now then some strange disease infects those few farms, and there is no meat left in our country-NAIS is NOT in the best interest of our country. I think what would be much wiser, is for people to be encouraged to grow at least part of their own food-with less factory farms and more small family farms, there would also be less problems with pollution-the huge factory farms are causing tremendous problems with pollution. "

MR Dodd wrote on Jan 8, 2008 4:29 AM:

" I have been studying and researching the National Animal ID System for over 2 years. I found the USDA talk does not match the language in the contract. When I asked for clarification, the USDA replied, "Don't pay any attention to the contract listen to us."
I have not signed and I will not sign.
The same people that have pushed for NAIS, do not want the consumers to know what country your meat is coming from. USDA claims to be concerned about disease but allows open borders where BSE is known to come from. USDA claims to care about food safety but have cut back inspectors at the slaugherhouses and much contamination is not known until after packaged shipments. If you don't test...What is there to Track or Trace?
All consumers want SAFE FOOD and we want to know where it comes from. Amazing to be able to tag every animal but not be able to label a package.
Safe food begins with safe animal feed, inspections at the slaugherhouses and stop the imports!
The United States already has an affordable workable disease tracking sytem in place.
NAIS is a corporate market strategy to allow "BIG AGI" to control the market and for the techinology industries to make billion$ and all promoted by USDA.
Contact your state legislatures and US Congress. OPPOSE NAIS
"

kim p. wrote on Dec 13, 2007 8:52 AM:

" “The question is, does this help protect me from losses to my operation, and the answer is yes,” he says. “That makes it valuable to me.” Let's see if Mr. john still has this same opinion, if the time ever comes when a "possible" problem occurs at another farm down the road, and his cattle are in turn, become innocent victims and are "depopulated", just in case, simply because they fall within the 6 mile radius, not because they're actually sick....... NAIS disgusts me to no end. "

esbee wrote on Jun 15, 2007 6:43 PM:

" If NAIS is such a good thing, why are there no pro-NAIS websites, save govt sponsored ones? Why is it that all I find are anti-NAIS sites that tell what NAIS really is (not about animal disease, that is just the lie to cover the real reason), who it will really benefit (not the little guy, just big Ag). Just read the the comments preceding mine and you see they are all against NAIS. "

Barbara S wrote on Jun 6, 2007 12:12 AM:

" What the government calls "education", I call propaganda. I'm not stupid enough to believe everything they say -besides, they keep changing what they say and can't (or won't) answer the questions they've been asked by the opponents of NAIS. Why should they be trusted? Remember what Ronald Reagan said: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" "

Walter Jeffries wrote on Apr 13, 2007 8:40 PM:

" NAIS is for the benefit of the big corporate ag and exporters. If they want a program like NAIS then let them create it and fund it. NAIS should not be paid for with our tax dollars nor should it be forced on the rest of us. It will just increase the cost of food on the one hand while increasing our taxes on the other hand. All so a few large mega-corps can make more profits. "

Paul Allen wrote on Apr 6, 2007 5:58 AM:

" This is another waste of the taxpayers money. It is a useless program which will be an incredible expense to the producer and will put many small producers out of business. It will only benefit the wealthy or global companies, just check out the list of companies promoting NAIS and you will find a money trail. "

Jet Doyle wrote on Mar 3, 2007 1:00 PM:

" Also, when the government told the sheep producers that Scrapies was a voluntary program, they also have a mandatory program as a backup. You can no longer sell sheep across statelines unless you are scrapies compliant. How long will it be before all cattle, sheep, goats and poultry are in on the same sort of bait and switch tactics? "

Henwhisperer wrote on Dec 12, 2006 3:48 PM:

" It wasn't the Bush administration! It was the USDA/APHIS/NIAA. This editior should be ashamed of himself for reading other people's articles and reporting from that. Small/private farmers should not be included in NAIS. I understand it, premises registration, and I am totally against it. Why? Because I supposedly have a Constitutional right to own property and not be have to have the government peering over my shoulder. The New Users Guide says some 30 plus times that NAIS is voluntary at the Federal level, while the Cooperative Agreement for FY 2007 says that states should continue dumping data into the National Repository, but will have to consider whether the citizens will consider that to be voluntary. "It's up to industry to make people better informed"? NAIS is by and for industry. Give me a break. nonais.org henwhisperer.blogspot.com "

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