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[bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

This is from American Farm  , Today.  They are going to keep insisting on 
this 'voluntary' program until it is a regimented and "voluntary" as the 
federal t*xation sytem .....................

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Excerpt:

"Eventually, Hohenhaus said, the U.S. food industry will have difficulty in 
reassuring consumers around the world that its food is safe to eat if it does 
not have an electronic, unified tracking system. Australia, New Zealand and 
Europe are “way ahead of us,” he added, so NAIS is important in allowing the 
United States to be able to compete in the global meat market.

Many industry organizations already offer their own tracking program, and 
many producers across the country have registered their animals with those, 
which is an issue that still has not been resolved. But the “intent of USDA 
over the long term is to have one unified program,” Hohenhaus added. And, 
unfortunately, he said, the agricultural industry will have to bear most of 
the burden in costs.

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Another excrpt:




"Maryland Ag Commission briefed on bills, NAIS


1.20.09

Kille: ‘Anything with a cost is going to be rejected’

By STEPHANIE JORDAN
Associate Editor

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Ag Commission tackled several issues, including 
new bills in the legislative session and registration with the National 
Animal Identification System (NAIS), during its monthly meeting last 
Wednesday.

Joanna Kille, director of government relations for the Maryland Department of 
Agriculture (MDA), updated the commission on bills that will introduced 
during the 2009 General Assembly session. There are fewer bills than usual, 
because of the state’s budget situation.

“The budget is going to drive everything,” Kille said. “Anything with a cost 
is going to be rejected.”

Thus far, three bills pertaining to the Maryland Agricultural Land 
Preservation Foundation will be introduced, along with a bill that would 
allow fourth-year veterinary students to perform surgery while still in 
school if they are working under a veterinarian to provide them with more 
experience.

There also is a bill that will be introduced to levy taxes on those who use 
fertilizers and a bill that will ask those who use pesticides to report how 
much they use of them, along with one that would repeal the state tobacco 
authority if passed.

Guy Hohenhaus, Maryland’s state veterinarian, talked to the commission about 
the importance of NAIS, which is still a voluntary program. He asked the 
commission to help form a committee that will advise him and the secretary of 
agriculture about NAIS. Tom Hartsock, who represents livestock on the 
commission, will lead the committee.
Hohenhaus said NAIS is “absolutely critical for state and federal officials 
to manage diseases of livestock and poultry.” The program will allow 
officials to electronically track animals as they visit several locations and 
come into contact with other animals.

“The paper system that’s served us over the years no longer serves our 
purposes,” he said. The advantages for fully implementing NAIS include 
ensuring food safety by quickly locating animals that might have a health 
issue, keeping animals in the food system healthy by making sure they don’t 
come into contact with disease animals, and an economic benefit, allowing the 
United States to remain competitive with other 
countries......................................

Link to article:
http://www.americanfarm.com/TopStory1.20.09b.html