Meet with your Congressman during the July 4th recess!

Congress will be recessed from July 2 to July 6, for Independence Day. So your Representative will be in the home district. This is a perfect time to meet with him or her to talk about NAIS! Talking with your Congressman during this week is especially important if your Congressman is on the House Agriculture Committee (listed below), because they will vote on the Farm Bill the week after July 4.

It's easy to set up a meeting. Find out who your Congressman is here, or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121. Call and ask to speak to the scheduler. Tell the scheduler that you want to meet with the Congressman during the week of July 2, to discuss issues with the Farm Bill. Below are some talking points to help you prepare for the meeting. You can also contact us for more materials and help, at libertyark@freedom.org.

BACKGROUND on the Farm Bill: Section 121 would allow the USDA to use a mandatory animal identification system in order to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). This would open the door for the USDA to link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to COOL, forcing small farms out of business and harming our local food supply. Be sure to read Randy Givens' article about the problems with linking NAIS and COOL.

MESSAGE: Please strip Section 121 from the Farm Bill. The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL should not be changed, and NAIS should not be put into the Farm Bill. These two programs do not serve common purposes and should not be connected.

Don't forget to tell your community about NAIS by writing letters to the editor. See our earlier alert here. And stay tuned for the alert to call Chairman Peterson and the entire Agriculture Committee just before the vote!

TALKING POINTS

You can download a one-page memo that discusses the issue of NAIS and COOL here . Feel free to give a copy of the memo to your Congressman!

• Please strip Section 121 from the draft Farm Bill. I oppose the National Animal ID System (NAIS). The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) should not be changed.
• COOL can be implemented simply by requiring that all imports of live animals or food be identified with a country of origin marking. Requiring U.S. livestock owners to individually identify and track all domestic livestock is not necessary.
• Using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL would impose heavy burdens on American farmers and ranchers, in both time and money. A National Animal ID System (NAIS) would drive independent ranches and farms in America out of business.
• The purpose of COOL is to provide information so that consumers can choose whether to buy domestic or foreign products and, as a hoped-for result, providing American farmers and ranchers with economic rewards for raising food in this country.
• NAIS will harm American farmers and ranchers, directly contrary to the goal of COOL.
• If, and when, COOL is finally implemented, the benefits will accrue to American consumers who will finally be able to choose whether to purchase American, or imported, meat products. In contrast, NAIS would harm American farmers and ranchers, for the benefit of corporations exporting American meat products abroad. These two programs do not serve common purposes and should not be connected.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

Name (State), Phone number, Fax number

Members are listed in order of their states (alphabetically). Please contact any members who come from your state. If you want to use e-mail, then go to the Congressperson's website, which you can find here.

Chair: The Honorable Collin C. Peterson
Phone: 202-225-2171
Fax: 202-225-8510
Email: agriculture@mail.house.gov

Members:

Terry Everett (AL), (p) 202-225-2901, (f) 202-225-8913
Michael Rogers (AL), (p) 202-225-3261, (f) 202-226-8485
Jo Bonner (AL), (p) 202-225-4931, (f) 202-225-0562

Joe Baca (CA), (p) 202-225-6161, (f) 202-225-8671
Dennis Cardoza (CA), (p) 202-225-6131, (f) 202-225-0819
Jim Costa (CA), (p) 202-225-3341, (f) 202-225-9308
Kevin McCarthy (CA), (202) 225-2915, (f) 202-225-2908

John T. Salazar (CO), (p) 202-225-4761, (f) 202-226-9669
Marilyn Musgrove (CO), (p) 202-225-4676, (f) 202-225-5870

Timothy Mahoney (FL), (p) 202-225-5792, (f) 202-225-3132

David Scott (GA), (p) 202-225-2939, (f) 202-225-4628
Jim Marshall (GA), (p) 202-225-6531, (f) 202-225-3013
John Barrow (GA), (p) 866-890-6236, (f) 202-225-3377

Leonard L. Boswell, (IA), (p) 202-225-3806, (f) 202-225-5608
Steve King (IA), (p) 202-225-4426, (f) 202-225-3193

Timothy Johnson (IL), 202-225-2371, (f) 202-226-0791

Brad Ellsworth (IN), (p) 866-567-0227, (f) 202-225-3284
Joe Donnelly (IN), (p) 202-225-3915, (f) 202-225-6798

Nancy Boyda (KS), (p) 202-225-6601, (f) 202-225-7986
Jerry Moran (KS), (p) 202-225-2715, (f) 202-225-5124

Charles W. Boustany, Hr. (LA), (p) 202-225-2031, (f) 202-225-5724

Tim Walberg (MI), (p) 202-225-6276, (f) 202-225-6281

Collin Peterson (MN), (p) 202-225-2165, (f) 202-225-1593
Timothy J. Walz (MN), (p) 202-225-2472, (f) 202-225-3433

Sam Graves (MO), (p) 202-225-7041, (f) 202-225-8221

Earl Pomeroy, (ND), (p) 202-225-2611, (f) 202-226-0893

Mike McIntyre (NC), (p) 202-225-2731, (f) 202-225-5773
Bob Etheridge (NC), (p) 202-225-4531, (f) 202-225-5662
Robin Hayes, (NC), (p) 202-225-3715, (f)202-225-4036
Virginia Foxx (NC), (p) 202-225-2071, (f) 202-225-2995

Jeff Fortnberry (NE), (p) 202-225-4806, (f) 202-225-5686
Adrian Smith (NE), (p) 202-225-6435, (f) 202-225-0207

Kirsten Gillibrand, (NY), (p) 202-225-5614, (f)202-225-1168
John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (NY), 202-225-3161, (f) 202-226-6599

Zachary T. Space (OH), (p) 202-225-6265, (f) 330-364-4330
Jean Schmidt (OH), (p) 202-225-3164, (f) 202-225-1992

Frank D. Lucas (OK), (p) 202-225-5565, (f) 202-225-8698

Tim Holden (PA), (p) 202-225-5546, (f) 202-226-0996

Stephanie Herseth Sandline, (SD), (p) 202-225-2801, (f) 202-225-5823

Lincoln Davis, (TN), (p) 202-225-6831, 9f) 202-226-5172

Henry Cuellar (TX), (p) 202-225-1640, (f) 202-225-1641
Mike Conaway (TX), (p) 202-225-3605, (f) 202-225-1783
Randy Neugebauer (TX), (p) 202-225-4005, (f) 202-225-9615
Nicholas Lampson (TX), (p) 202-225-5951, (f) 202-225-5241

Bob Goodlatte (VA), (p) 202-225-5431, (f) 202-225-9681

Steve Kagen (WI), (p) 202-225-5665, (f) 202-225-5729