Topic: Alaska Represenatives
Mr Stevens, I have written to you for over 3 years and you still have failed to understand let alone read the documents on the National Animal Identification System . You sent me the email below and to countless other Alaskan livestock owners and it is very obvious that you have NO intention of understanding what the National Animal Identification System will do to livestock owners in Alaska or in any other state. You have NO intention ever to read the documents to which "We the people" which includes livestock owners will have to comply. This program is not Voluntary no matter what you have to say. Your below email proves that to me. Your words and I will quote "With regard to linking the NAIS to other programs, I believe you are referring to provisions in appropriations bills to require the USDA to purchase meat products for the School Lunch Program from livestock premises registered with NAIS. You yourself just stated that the NAIS will be linked to the School lunch programs, in other words if you are not registered with the Federal Government you will not be able to sell your livestock for the school lunch programs. How is this a FREE society Mr Stevens? A society based on the Constitution which you are suppose to UPHOLD? You see with the NAIS you will not be able to purchase let alone sell any livestock unless you have a premises identification number. It doesn't matter if you are a big exporter or not, A person who owns one cow, one pig, one horse will have to have a premises id number if you want to buy or sell.
How is this program voluntary when programs will be rolled into the NAIS, such as scrapies, Coggins, TB, The Alaska state CWD certification Program. Mr Stevens it is highly unlikely that you read the 2008 Alaska State Cooperative Agreement let alone understand the program as the USDA as written. I have the copy of the said cooperative agreement and have read it and understood it. I have read all the USDA documents and fully understand them, I am not misinformed.
On the State Vets site and it states "Registering your premise does not obligate you to participate in the NAIS". On page 12 of the 2008 Alaska Cooperative Agreement the elk farms and reindeer operations will require premise and animal Id for inclusion in the State CWD Certification Program. The 6 major dairy operations will be given top priority with beef operations to follow. That would include bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis testing. So much for voluntary at the state level ... It further states this same approach will be used with sheep and dairy goat owners participating in the Scapie and Johne's programs. How long will it before the equine owners who test for EIA for participation in showing (competition) that you will be required to have a premises id and animal id and then animal movement? So much for voluntary at the state level. How long will it be required before the trail rider be required to have a premises id, animal id, and reporting of movement? Trail riding will be in tier 2 per the USDA Business Plan to advance animal traceability and that will be addressed at a later time frame.
Will require premises id is not a voluntary program Mr Stevens. So as you can see the State Vet has out and out lied to livestock owners. To refresh what you just read it states: On page 12 of the 2008 Alaska Cooperative Agreement the elk farms and reindeer operations will require premise and animal Id for inclusion in the State CWD Certification Program. The 6 major dairy operations will be given top priority with beef operations to follow. Premises id, Animal id and then it will require animal movement. Registering your premises does obligate you to participate in the NAIS.
Mr Stevens when I said that NAIS will be linked to other programs I meant disease programs that are already mandatory by state law in order to participate in showing and in travel requirements. The NAIS will require mandatory premises registration in order to show and or travel across state borders then in order to trace the animal they will have to be micro-chipped and then the movement will have to be reported.
You also mentioned and I will quote again "to satisfy foreign market specifications. Alaskan livestock owners should not be unfairly burdened by the cost of adhering to a program intended for states with large scale export driven agriculture operations, nor should their property rights be intruded upon.end quote First let me say I did not vote for the Trade agreements with foreign members. Second you failed to understand the mandatory program by contradicting yourself by stating that Alaskan livestock owners should not be unfairly burden by the cost of adhering to a program intended for states with large scale export driven agriculture operations. The State of Alaska signed and accepted federal money and filled out all the necessary paper work thereby accepting the USDA program via the Alaska State Cooperative Agreement. Alaska has no large scale operation, and will be burden by the cost of tagging, scanners, computer, Internet connection along with the cost of reporting of movement. All of this will have a price tag including the Currently free premises ID. Since the 2008 Alaska State Cooperative Agreement mentioned in the agreement that elk farms and reindeer operations will require premise and animal Id for inclusion in the State CWD Certification Program. The 6 major dairy operations will be given top priority with beef operations to follow. That means it would include bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis testing. It further states this same approach will be used with sheep and dairy goat owners participating in the Scapie and Johne's programs. These people who own sheep and goats do so for private use not for export.
Who do you think you are by stating that this program will not unduly burden us by cost or time when in fact you have not READ the documents? Do you honesty think that this program will remain FREE? Do you honestly think that no equipment will need to be purchased. Again you failed by not reading and understanding the documents.
Page 2 of the NAIS business plan state: Strategy 3: Converge NAIS Data Standards in Disease Programs and Regulations: USDA will take steps to adopt and apply NAIS data standards in existing disease programs, Including international/interstate commerce regulations. For example, establishing national Data standards that identify premises importing and exporting livestock, locations, Participating in official disease control programs, and origin and destination premises listed On Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) will greatly enhance animal disease Tracing and emergency response capabilities.
You have FAILED to understand the program, the USDA has all intentions to make this program MANDATORY at the FEDERAL level by requiring a premises identification with the Federal government, by requiring all livestock including horses, to be either microchipped or DNA certified in order to be shown at local facilities and all movement reported when you commingle.
The Business Plan specifically calls for equine organizations and associations to implement
NAIS-compliant electronic identification technology by January 2009: “Implementation of
The 840 AIN RFID [Radio Frequency Identification Device] technology by all industry
Organizations that provide services to horse owners/breeders.” (Business Plan,p.55)
(emphasis added) .
•
USDA’s focus on horses is not limited to just competition horses. “Horses that, when moved,
Require either a test for Equine Infectious Anemia or a health certificate, are also
Included in Tier 1.” (Business Plan, p.2). That would cover almost every single horse in
Alaska and all other states.
•
USDA has plans to expand the requirements for Coggins testing nationwide, to capture more
People into NAIS. “Efforts are underway to develop a USDA national State-Federal
Cooperative program for the control of EIA that would establish national EIA (Coggins)
Testing requirements for (a) interstate movement and (b) change of ownership. … Overall,
Establishing regulations to require premises registration in association with Coggins
Testing would substantively increase the number of both premises registered and horses
Identified.” (Business Plan, p.26-27) This means a national mandatory Coggins, for which
Horse owners will be required to provide a PIN and AIN.
NAIS-compliant electronic identification technology by January 2009: “Implementation of
The 840 AIN RFID [Radio Frequency Identification Device] technology by all industry
Organizations that provide services to horse owners/breeders.” (Business Plan,p.55)
(emphasis added) .
•
USDA’s focus on horses is not limited to just competition horses. “Horses that, when moved,
Require either a test for Equine Infectious Anemia or a health certificate, are also
Included in Tier 1.” (Business Plan, p.2). That would cover almost every single horse in
Alaska and all other states.
•
USDA has plans to expand the requirements for Coggins testing nationwide, to capture more
People into NAIS. “Efforts are underway to develop a USDA national State-Federal
Cooperative program for the control of EIA that would establish national EIA (Coggins)
Testing requirements for (a) interstate movement and (b) change of ownership. … Overall,
Establishing regulations to require premises registration in association with Coggins
Testing would substantively increase the number of both premises registered and horses
Identified.” (Business Plan, p.26-27) This means a national mandatory Coggins, for which
Horse owners will be required to provide a PIN and AIN.
"We the people" includes livestock owners that are not exporters and you have failed to protect our private property rights all due to trade agreements or in your words large export operations. The other day on the news you mentioned that your constitutional rights have been infringed upon, well let me say that my rights will be infringed upon by the registering of my private property, by requiring identification for my horses, by my reporting of movement should I commingle or travel with my horses. Welcome to the world of Nazi Germany where papers will be mandatory.
Because you failed to protect my rights you will not get my vote regardless of your 40 years of service in congress.
-------Original Message-------
Date: 8/19/2008 8:34:56 AM
To:
Subject: Responding to your message (Intranet Quorum IMA00203672)
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Posted by xstatic99645
at 8:35 AM YST
