Action Alert
February 15, 2007
Hearing on Indiana SB 486
What: The Indiana Senate Agriculture and Small Business Committee hearing on SB 486, which would stop implementation of NAIS in Indiana.
When: Monday, February 19, 2007, at 11:15 AM.
Where: The Indiana State House, Room 431. The Indiana State House is located at 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.
Come To The Hearing - Show You Want NAIS stopped in Indiana! It is important that many people come and, preferably, speak!
If You Want To Speak: People who want to speak should arrive early. And bring multiple copies of your testimony, so you can give them a copy for the record. The Indiana Legislature website does not have information about how long people will be allowed to testify or any other details. So if you have any questions, we recommend you call Senator Steele's Office at 317-232-9814. Senator Steele introduced SB 486, so be sure to thank him!
What You Can Do Now: Whether you can come to the hearing or not, be sure to write or call the committee members immediately to express your opposition to NAIS and your support of SB 486. A phone call is better than email. The contact information for the Committee and a sample email are below. At the bottom are talking points for speaking before the Committee. If you are a member of Farm Bureau, National Cattleman's Beef Association, or any other organization that supports NAIS, be sure to mention that fact in your testimony and email!
Full Text of Bill:
www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo
?year=2007&sessio
n=1&request=getBill&docno=0486&doctype=SB
Send copies of your emails, letters, and testimony to your own legislators. To find your Indiana legislators, go to: www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/
You can get in-depth arguments against NAIS at www.libertyark.net. And, as always, if you have questions or concerns, you can reach us at noah@libertyark.net
Contact info for Senate Committee on Agriculture and Small Business: (note: the emails for the first 7 Senators were not listed on the website, but we are assuming that they follow the same pattern as the other Senators' addresses)
Chair: Senator Johnny Nugent (317) 232-9400, (800) 382-9467; S43@in.gov
Members: John Waterman, (317) 232-9400, (800) 382-9467; S39@in.gov
Brandt Hershman, (317) 232-9400; (800) 382-9467; S7@in.gov
Robert Jackman, (317) 232-9400; (800) 382-9467; S42@in.gov
Allen E. Paul, (317) 232-9400, (800) 382-9467; S27@in.gov
Greg Walker, (317) 232-9400 (800) 382-9467; S41@in.gov
Joe Zakas, (317) 232-9400 (800) 382-9467; S11@in.gov
Richard Young, (800)382-9467 or (317)232-9427; S47@in.gov
Bob Deig, (800) 382-9467 or (317) 232-9526; S49@in.gov
Lindel Hume, (800)382-9467 or (317)232-9523; S48@in.gov
Jim Lewis, (800)382-9467 or (317)232-9534; S45@in.gov
Sample email: Personalize and put it into your own words for the greatest effect!!
Dear Senator ____:
I urge you to support SB 486, which would stop the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in Indiana. I am a ____ (small farmer, consumer, taxpayer - tell them a sentence about yourself). I am opposed to NAIS because it will impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits. Neither the USDA nor the Indiana State Department of Agriculture has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control. NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. NAIS will drive many small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business and discourage people from owning horses and other livestock as pets, resulting in far-reaching effects on our economy. The only winners in this program are the microchip manufacturers, the associations that will manage the databases, and the government employees. Please support SB 486 when it comes before your Committee.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Talking points for testimony or calls:
NAIS will hurt Indiana's economy:
- There has been no cost analysis by USDA or Indiana Department of Agriculture (IDA)
- Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
- Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
- Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
- Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods
Neither the USDA nor the IDA has scientific proof show that NAIS will improve disease control:
- It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
- It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
- NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program
NAIS will not improve food safety:
- USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
- Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.
NAIS will not protect against terrorism.
- The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
- The database of information, created by IDA and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers.
NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.
USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Indiana to implement this program.
Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Indiana will not be disadvantaged by refusing to participate.