Action Alert
October 22, 2007
Tuberculosis Program (NAIS) Meeting in Michigan
The North Country Beef Producers, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), is holding a meeting about the TB program this Thursday, October 25. Unless members of the audience speak up, the people attending these meetings will not hear about the problems with NAIS - they'll only hear the government propaganda. MDA says they want the meeting to be an open discussion. So it's important that people come and ask hard questions about the many problems with NAIS and the way the TB program has been implemented in Michigan! At the bottom of this action alert are some ideas for questions you can ask the speakers, to point out the flaws in their plans.
WHERE: MDA Atlanta Field Office, 16860 M-32, Atlanta, Michigan 49709
WHEN: Thursday, October 25 at 7 pm
CONTACTS: Matt Ankney, 517-335-9970, or Beth Hall, 989-785-5616
WHAT TO DO: Go to the meeting. Before you go: If you plan to go, please call Beth Hall's number, and let them know you are coming, so they can be sure they have enough seats.
At the Meeting: Ask questions pointing out the flaws with the program, and make sure both the government and the other farmers understand the opposition to forced registration and electronic tagging under the TB program.
As always, if you have any questions, email us at noah@libertyark.net
Below are some sample questions to ask the government and cooperative speakers. Pick questions based on what the speaker has said and what is most likely to resonate with the audience. Or take our Top 10 Myths, and use some of that information to challenge the claims the pro-NAIS speakers make. You can find materials to help you think of good questions at libertyark.net, on our Take Action page.
Has anyone quantified the costs of NAIS to the individual animal owner?
- Cost of radiotags when bought in small quantities or lots
- Costs of the scanners. For the farmers who don't buy scanners, what about the costs that will be charged by people who will do the scanning for us?
- Fees for reports, since someone has to pay to maintain the database
- Computers, software, and internet access for filing reports. If they say you wouldn't need to use a computer, and could just file paper reports, then ask how they think they will get 48-hour traceback when people mail in hard copies and the bureaucrats then have to enter the reports into their computer system? We know they have not quantified these costs! Ask them how they can promote a program, and encourage people to enroll, when they don't know the costs yet!
What about the fact that the radiotags and microchips recommended, called ISO tags, are designed to be easily reprogrammed. Can't anyone who wants to get around the system simply reprogram the chips? What about computer viruses? There is a study out of Europe that specifically found that it was possible to infect an RFID, including RFIDs in pets, with a computer virus.
If they claim that NAIS will provide premiums to producers: it's a mandatory program, so everyone has to tag and track. That means there won't be any premiums. After all, why would the companies pay premiums for something we are all forced to do?
Has anyone looked at the problems that have arisen in Australia due to tracking cattle? The costs have risen to 12 times the original estimates ($37/head instead of $3/head) and the government bureaucracy has exploded. What analysis has been done of these problems?
The idea of tracing back animals after a disease has already broken out doesn't seem to make much sense. Why doesn't the government first focus on programs that address the causes of disease and preventative measures? What about transmission of diseases through wild animals, which will not be part of NAIS? What about enforcing current programs, such as health certificates, before we implement new, more burdensome programs?
What proof is there that electronic tagging of cattle will do anything to address the TB problems in Michigan? What resources are being used to push NAIS, which could otherwise be used to address the reservoir of TB in the wild deer population?
If this is already a federal mandate, then why have bills to authorize the program failed to pass in the last three years? Congress has chosen not to adopt a statute that would specifically authorize this program. Why is Michigan making NAIS mandatory, when the USDA has stated for the last year that it has no intention of making the program mandatory at the federal level?