…at least for 2006. After hearing from a large number of citizens including farmers, homesteaders, pet owners and consumers the Vermont Senate and House Agriculture Committees have told the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to not make any rules regarding the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) or Premise ID during 2006.
Vermont House Bill 881 is the state budget and buried in it in Sec. 77b the legislature has instructed the Agency of Agriculture to back down. Furthermore, our representatives have told the Ag Dept. to focus on education for prevention of disease, to give full disclosure about its intentions, to stop the secrecy, to hold public hearings in every county and to report back to the legislature next year for further discussion. It is a time out. It is a giant step back from the original memo’s stated goals and aggressive timetable and Secretary of Agriculture Steve Kerr’s goal of having us all signed up by July of 2006.
This follows a trend we are seeing in many states. Even the USDA is stepping back from the original aggressive game plan of NAIS in every factory farm, feedlot and backyard by 2007 (Premise ID), 2008 (Animal ID) and 2009 (Animal Tracking).
Realize that this is a very rapid shift in course. It happened because people, like you, wrote to your representatives with your concerns. You wrote to newspapers. You hung posters. You passed out fliers. You wrote hundreds of thousands of letters to the USDA. And they noticed.
This is not the end. NAIS is not defeated. NAIS is still a threat to our privacy, to traditional farming, to livestock ownership and our basic Constitutional rights. Keep an eye on your state legislature and rule making and let me know what you see. Continue writing letters. Keep an eye out for the USDA’s proposed rules coming out in July when there will be a public comment period.
We can’t relax our defense of our liberties but for today, at least, I am going to go out, enjoy the warm spring weather, scratch a few pig backs, tickle a sheep under the chin, play with my kids and plant our gardens.
Walter,my letters to you get
returned….
Always keep the enemy in sight…
And never expect anyone to do that for you….I wrote to my
rep and expressed my disapointment in him….Alas he is a smart man and young….and
easily manipulated..I may have to
run against him in district 87…
Your piglets are beautiful and
worth fighting for…keep your
eggs out of the frige and an incubator handy…..
Miracles happen….
sid
Comment sid sargent — May 8, 2006 @ 8:46 am
This is a very welcomed news. Yet like you say the fight is not over. I will continue to past out stacks of flyers at any and all locations that will take them and post every town crier I can find. Your web site and all the links have been more helpful then you could imagine. I couldn’t even begin to tell you the number of people who had no idea of the underhanded actions proposed by NAIS. They just thought it had to with the premis id.
Thank you for all your work.
Comment Gary F-Tunbridge VT — May 8, 2006 @ 12:12 pm
Keep speaking up, all. Let this show you that it DOES pay to work, work, work, and that it’s not too late to accomplish change. Too many people think it’s a “done deal” or “not my problem,” instead of letting their lawmakers know the truth. No matter how tough this seems, we still are in the best nation on earth, and we need to hang on to our rights and take back the government BY the people and FOR the people. Remember that our elected officials work FOR us, not the other way around!!!!
Comment WearyJan — May 8, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
This is a victory, albeit a smaller one than I had hoped for. We MUST NOT relax - not even a little bit - because you can bet that even as Kerr and his minions are carrying out the legislative directives, they will also be planning new ways of getting their scheme ready to ram down our throats from some other angle.
Stay in touch with ALL candidates for office - hold their feet to the fire. Tell them that you WILL NOT vote for any candidate who supports NAIS, and then stick to it. There are good candidates out there, it just isn’t always easy to find them.
We have ‘em on the run so let’s not slack off!!
Comment Ernie — May 8, 2006 @ 3:17 pm
This is great news! Thank you for all the work you do on this!
Comment Becky — May 8, 2006 @ 4:23 pm
BRAVO!!!!!!!! BRAVO!!!!!!! A job WELL done, Vts! Walter … you are a wonderous soul. So much work. It is, indeed, very much appreciated! I will continue to fight against NAIS here in MA and, hopefully, MA will one day soon join VT ranks!
*clapping*
–Gwen
Comment Gwenyth — May 8, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
WAY TO GO WALTER and friends! But don’t get too dormant–keep up the fight…if we allow our defenses to mellow, we all know what will happen! Get those bumper stickers/posters/petitions out, continue to call/write anyone and everyone,stay dedicated. I certainly am…
Comment janice dinsdale — May 9, 2006 @ 6:18 am
DON’T WRITE TO CONGRESS
RUN FOR CONGRESS
it wouldn’t take anymore time
and you will save on postage
200 dollars in postage has netted
me 5 form letters…great percentage
for one who tries to live on 600
a month pension…
I am an old hippie,mad as a wet hen and have decided to run for
congress in the 87th district
of arkansas….you can too…
will let you know how this will
be possible when I find out
more….anyone out there who
knows the ropes????? I warned my rep who is not answering my letters…he’s a shoo-in for
November ….or is he??????
I plan to have fun and refuse
to comb my hair or wear a suit
might as well go down laughing
sid sargent for congress
11210 north old cincinatti rd
Lincoln,arkansas 72744
campaign contributions not
allowed…… public funds
welcome…ha….siddartha@care2.com
Comment sid sargent — May 9, 2006 @ 7:31 am
I’m sending my grateful thanks to you Walter; you have the courage and abilities it takes, not only to get this started, but to continue. For the rest of us, wisdome dictates that we communicate our thanks to our reps. and others who helped put this thing into reverse. We need to continue to remain informed and involved. Don’t let your guard down; NAIS is not going to disappear, but we can delay it’s inevitability.
Comment Elaide — May 9, 2006 @ 9:12 am