To: Permaculture ibiblio <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, BPG <bloomington_permaculture_guild@lists.riseup.net>
Subject: [permaculture] USDA Drops "Big Brother" National Animal ID Program
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:46:18 -0500
*USDA Drops "Big Brother" National Animal ID Program*
Under pressure from small farmers and organic consumers, the US
Department of Agriculture announced on February 5, 2010, that it is
suspending its controversial National Animal Identification System
(NAIS) and offering a new approach to tracking animal disease and food
contamination. This is a major victory for the Organic Consumers
Association, our allies, and organic farmers and ranchers, who have
complained that the USDA's goal of tagging every farm animal in country
wouldn't do anything to prevent disease, would be unnecessary and
expensive for small and organic farmers, and couldn't be enforced
without violations of privacy and religion.
Already, the implementation of NAIS in Wisconsin has resulted in an
Amish farmer and a small-scale cattle rancher being charged and fined
for not registering, and in Michigan a cattle farmer's herd was put
under quarantine and forcibly tagged when he wouldn't submit to the
state's mandatory NAIS program.