NoNAIS.org

*WHAT: *Congressiona*l *Hearing on NAIS
*WHEN: *Wednesday, March 11
*WHERE: *Washington, DC

The U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will hold a hearing on NAIS on March 11. Bills to put NAIS into law, HR875 and companion Senate S814, are being pushed through Congress, as well as an Appropriations Bill with funding for NAIS. This hearing is critical to blocking mandatory NAIS.

*ACTION: Please call and fax all members of the subcommittee (below). *

*1. When you call, ask to speak to the legislative aide for agriculture. Form a positive relationship with the aide. Become his or her source of knowledge for NAIS. Be RESPECTFUL and POLITE. Remember, who would the aide rather speak with, someone who is courteous or someone angry and resentful?* *2. **Please send this to everyone you know, ESPECIALLY to people in the states with members on the subcommittee. Members need to hear from their constituents–the people who vote them into office.*

*If you are in one of these states, please arrange a meeting with the district representative of the Congressman. That makes a big difference. We need to be real people to the legislators, so that when they think “farm” or “food” they think of us, not Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson, etc…*

*State***
*Party/Dist***
*Representative***
*Phone***
*Fax***
*Website email form*

AL
R-13
Mike Rogers
202.225.3261
202.226.8485
web site

CA
D-18
Dennis Cardoza
202.225.6131
800-356-6424
(202) 225-0819
web site

CA
D-20
Jim Costa
202-225-3341
(202) 225-9308
web site

CA
D-43
Joe Baca
(202)225-6161
(202)225-8671
web site

CO
D-4
Betsy Markey,
(202) 225-4676
(202) 225-5870
https://forms.house.gov/betsymarkey/contact-form.shtml”>web site

GA
D-13
David Scott (Chair)
(202) 225-2939
(202) 225-4628
web site

IA
D-3
Leonard Boswell
(202) 225-3806
(202) 225-5608
web site

IA
R-5
Steve King
202.225.4426
202.225.3193
web site

ID
D-1
Walt Minnick
(202) 225-6611
(202) 225-3029
web site

MD
D-1
Frank Kratovil, Jr.
(202) 225-5311
(202) 225-0254
web site

NE
R-3
Adrian Smith
(202) 225-6435
(202) 225-0207
web site

TN
R-1
David P. Roe
(202) 225-6356
(202) 225-5714
web site

TX
R-11
K. Michael Conaway
(202) 225-3605
(202) 225-1783
web site

TX
R-19
Randy Neugebauer,
Ranking Minority Member
(202) 225-4005
(888) 763-1611
(202) 225-9615
web site

VA
R-6
Bob Goodlatte,
(202) 225-5431
(202) 225-9681
web site

WI
D-8
Steve Kagen,
(202) 225-5665
(202) 225-5729
web site

For more information, or if you need help in this process, please contact:

Doreen Hannes
animalwaitress@yahoo.com
(417) 962-0030

Sharon Sabo
muttipie@htc.net
(618) 458-7745

Sue Dederich
suediederich@comcast.net
(847) 873-0251

Sharon Zecchinelli
henwhisperer@gmail.com

The High Plains Journal says NAIS will still be mandatory and no cow will be left behind.

Another thing that we’ve got to stop dancing around is that the USDA Animal Identification program will become mandatory. It can’t work any other way. The registration of your farm or ranch is the beginning, then the tagging of animals and tracking to the consumer.

You can leave comments.

Promoted from comments by Mark:

There are 2 new bill being introduced in Congress right now that create a backdoor NAIS but of course it is not called that - These 2 bills are HR 814 and HR 875. I have included some highlights below. But don’t just take my word for it, please review them yourselves at:

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c111bills.html

Here is the first one HR 814 - the bottom line is that the Dept of Ag can:

1. Make all farmers who bring an animal to a USDA slaughterhouse participate in this program or the USDA slaugherhouse can refuse them (regarless of whether you are selling your meat in state or across state lines).

2. Farms will need a premise ID to ensure traceability from farm to consumer in order to comply with this bill.

3. The Dept of Ag can send a rep out to your farm to inspect and copy your records for each animal.

HR 814 -TRACE ACT of 2009

This Act may be cited as the `Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009′ or `TRACE Act of 2009′.

SEC. 414A. TRACEABILITY OF FOOD.

`(a) Establishment of System- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a traceability system described in subsection (b) for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging, and distribution of food.

`(b) Description of System- The traceability system required by subsection (a) shall require each article of food shipped in interstate commerce to be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to retrieve the history, use, and location of the article through a recordkeeping and audit system or registered identification.

SEC. 26. TRACEABILITY OF LIVESTOCK, MEAT, AND MEAT PRODUCTS.

`(a) Definition of Traceability- In this section, the term `traceability’ means the ability to retrieve the history, use, and location of an article through a recordkeeping and audit system or registered identification.

`(b) Requirements-

`(1) IN GENERAL- Cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and horses, mules, and other equines presented for slaughter for human food purposes, and the carcasses or parts of carcasses and the meat and meat food products of those animals, shipped in interstate commerce shall be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to trace–
`(A) each animal to any premises or other location at which the animal was held at any time before slaughter; and
`(B) each carcass or part of a carcass and meat and meat food product of such animals forward from slaughter through processing and distribution to the ultimate consumer.
`(2) TRACEABILITY SYSTEM- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a traceability system for all stages of production, processing, and distribution of meat and meat food products that are produced through the slaughter of animals described in paragraph (1).
`(c) Prohibition or Restriction on Entry- The Secretary may prohibit or restrict entry into any slaughtering establishment inspected under this Act of any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, or horses, mules, or other equines not identified as prescribed by the Secretary under subsection (b).

——————————-

The second bill establishes NAIS via the newly created Food and Safety Administration, run by the “Administrator” - whoever that is….

HR 875 - ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOOD SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

SEC. 210. TRACEBACK REQUIREMENTS.

(a) In General- The Administrator, in order to protect the public health, shall establish a national traceability system that enables the Administrator to retrieve the history, use, and location of an article of food through all stages of its production, processing, and distribution.

b) Applicability - Traceability requirements under this section shall apply to food from food production facilities (FARMS), food establishments, and foreign food establishments.