I am going to comment on Vics email question about NAIS here because I guess if I dont utilize the blog I can't really expect others to. This is one of those issues I really hate debating for the simple fact that I think a mountain has been made out of a molehill.
I personally do not have a USDA premise or a WSDA premise for that matter. Not really because I am afraid of the black helicopters or I don't think it has any importance in disease traceback, more because I have just not been convinced economically to have one. That being said my last set of fall calves and this years spring calves have records and information that would allow them to be sourced, age verified, and individually identified. What will determine if I do any of those things is the economics. To do any of these things I think most programs would at least require a state PIN and possibly a national one, again economics will drive my decision for either.
Dick brings up a good point, would a premise registration without the threat of individual ID be more palatable to most of the people in the country? My thought would be yes but I dont know for sure.
I wonder how many people went to their FSA sevice agency and signed up for the livestock idemnity or drought relief money in 2002? and gave their location, herd numbers etc and yet are still afraid to get a national ID??? I would guess the great majority! Those that know me very well also know that my trust of the federal level of government and thier ability to really do much besides hinder us as an industry is deeply held. I personally dont think in the case of FMD or other disease the Feds would do much good and certainly wouldnt be any better at helping us if they had every animal ID'ed in the country. That being said I also do think that anyone involved in the federal government could find out ALL they wanted to know about me or my operation with a premise number or without. I mean we have SS numbers or Tax ID pins, connected to an address, farm plans, public sales records, FSA records etc etc, lets face it if the feds want to get down and dirty they have more information than they need at this time about me or other individuals.
So it basically comes down to this in my opinion, don't tell me how NAIS is going to help me in a FMD outbreak, reality is if I am in the 12 mile circle I am virtually finished anyway. Instead, get me an export market open as a result of individual ID or premise ID, and make sure those increased dollars dont just help a tag company, the federal government, a packer or a feeder. I dont mind sharing those dollars at all, but I would think at least a third of those dollars should be mine, I am afterall the entity who can make it work, or can keep it from working.
Thanks for reading the rant, hope it makes some sense.
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Larry, I hope your keyboard is still in one piece. I think you summed up a lot of our concerns: cost, effectiveness and intrusiveness. I would say we need to start asking the folks that have bought into a mandatory program: why? National Pork Producers, most the dairy folks and the sheep industry to a certain degree, the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana all support mandatory. Animals do not move off the farm in some cases without it. We are just a disease away from that here at times. I think we need to think more mundane than FMD. TB and Bangs in our world but also other diseases in other species all are closer to us right now than FMD. Most the Veterinarian community sees some benefit to a more concise tracking system. So to go back to the concerns: cost, effectiveness and intrusiveness, I think we need to think about a plan to address them because it's a higher probability that we'll have a NAIS than not.It may not yet be where we want it for cost and intrusiveness but we do depend on our different levels of government to protect our livelihood from domestic and foreign disease effectively.
ReplyDeleteVic,
ReplyDeleteI would like to see the question you posed in the email to Larry in its entirety. As is seen in both of your comments, this issue encompasses so many different concerns. If you don't mind can you please post the question?
Thanks :)
Jenna, I think the question I posed was whether we shouldn't start looking at what, why and how mandatory NAIS, either just PIN's or PIN's and AIN's would be so horrible. I've heard all the black helicopter type fears and they seem to get more ludicrous all the time. We have some bigger problems on the horizon, such as stricter animal rights and animal welfare laws that could have a greater impact on us than NAIS. Thanks
ReplyDeleteLarry, Vic & Jenna,
ReplyDeleteWhat about the thread on NAIS? Does anyone want to discuss this further or is this issue dead?
jf
Jack, I don't know if NAIS is dead until the fat lady sings. At this time USDA hasn't made their final assessment from the meetings last spring have they? What I gather USAHA is still making recommendations and there continues to be industry/government roundtables to talk about tracking disease. I would be concerned with continued ground beef recalls that the goal will become more of a food safety/animal disease combination traceback. Vic
ReplyDeleteJack as long there are things like under 20 month and under 30 month rules for exports NAIS will continue to be on the table. I am all for continued discussion on the issue.
ReplyDelete