From Doreen Hannes: – This is an article written for distribution to any newspaper or outlet on the NAIS tags being used in Missouri at sale barns. I tried really hard to not insert any opinions on my part.

 There are still a lot of questions I would like the Department of Ag to answer, but we had no invitation to cross examine on behalf of the committee, so it was what it was.

 Thanks, and God bless!

Doreen

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Hearing on Use of NAIS Tags at Sale Barns

© Doreen Hannes

On Thursday, January 13th, 2010 there was a Senate Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee hearing at the Capitol on the usage of National Animal Identification System “840″ tags by the veterinarians at sale barns across Missouri.

 The hearing was to allay the confusion amongst sale barns and determine whether or not the Department of Agriculture was following the voluntary parameters set for NAIS in Missouri by the usage of these “840″ tags.

 The NAIS  (National Animal Identification System) is a 3 part program. The first prong is Premises registration with a seven character number permanently assigned to a particular location housing or holding animals. The second prong is the use of these “840″ tags which necessitate a premise id number to be used. The third component is the reporting of movements from the ascribed premises and various other things such as vaccinations and tag replacements and “sightings”. 
 Near the beginning of December it came to light that many sale barn markets in the state of Missouri were using the 840 tags on cows going through chutes who had no official identification. It was reported that as of January 1st, 2010, all cows, with or without official identification, would receive the 840 tags when they went through chutes for health tests or pregnancy checks Different markets reported different criteria for this NAIS “840″ identification of cows. Some producers reported they were told they “had to” use the 840 tags in order to sell cattle at some sale barns.

 In 2008, the Missouri General Assembly passed SB931, prohibiting the Department of Agriculture from mandating or otherwise forcing participation in NAIS, and allowing for the immediate removal from the program of anyone who was assigned a premises id unless they were part of a disease control program or an ongoing disease investigation.

 This hearing was to clear up confusion on the law as it applies to both the state of Missouri and the veterinarians licensed by the state. Chairman, Senator Chuck Purgason, stated, “We want to clear up confusion, and to make sure veterinarians are not violating people’s rights regarding this program.”

 Missouri State Veterinarian, Dr. Taylor Woods and Secretary of Agriculture, Dr. Jon Hagler, did not appear at the beginning of the hearing. A representative from the Department of Ag and a veterinarian with the State Vet’s office, Dr. Linda Hickle, appeared, but knew little of policy and stated that the Secretary and State Vet were not aware that they were to be present at this hearing.

 Three other individuals testified at the hearing and during the last testimony, the State veterinarian and Secretary of Agriculture came into the hearing room.

 They testified that they had no official written policy on the usage of the “840″ tags and had communicated with the market veterinarians by face to face contact regarding the allocation of the 100,000 “840″ tags the Department has received from the USDA. They stated they had no particular agreement as to the distribution and application of the NAIS tags, but that the application of the tags was to be at the discretion of the market veterinarian.

 The Department was instructed by the Committee to write and distribute to all market veterinarians instructions on the usage of these “840″ tags and to inform the market veterinarians that the application of “840″ tags was to be done solely at the request of the producer in compliance with the law of the State of Missouri.

 No instructions or inquiries were made into how any redress is to be achieved by those who may already have been put into the NAIS program without their knowledge or consent by buying or selling cattle through a market that was applying the tags to all cows from January 1st through the time of the distribution of the letter requiring compliance with the state law.

Ozarks Property Rights Congress Meeting
March 26 – 7:00 p.m.
Hayloft Restaurant – Mountain Grove, Missouri

Come early if you care to eat, as no food is allowed in the meeting room, due to limited restaurant staff.

DNR  is on the agenda

We will be discussing more on the Missouri DNR  proposed expanded water quality regulations. The amended rules may result in expanded control on agricultural practices, such as nutrients, ammonia, sediments and bacteria. The DNR has asked for PRC involvement in discussions through participation in the Water Classification (Small Streams) Workgroup.

Reports from the January and February workgroup meetings as well as upcoming meetings of the workgroup can be found at this web address: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/cwforum/adv-uncl-waters-wetlands.htm  

Are we making a difference with our input to DNR?

Here are copies of 3 emails sent between OPRC President Russell Wood and Phil Schroeder after Mr. Schroeder and DNR’s Rob Morrison attended the February 26 Ozarks Property Rights Congress meeting in Mountain Grove. They were invited to attend the March12th Gainesville Meeting, as well.

From DNR:
Hi workgroup members -

The meeting on March 19 of the Water Classification (Small Streams) Workgroup has been cancelled.

The department is still gathering information to respond to several requests from workgroup members.  Specifically, we are gathering information on the status of various other state programs in classifying smaller streams into their water quality standards.  In addition, we are compiling information on how other states have implemented their programs and how they have handled the challenges we’ve discussed.  From this information, we wish to summarize the likely impacts of a rulemaking which classifies a wider number of streams in Missouri.  Our summary would describe the impacts to both point sources and non-point sources.

This information is essential to furthering constructive discussion on the stream classification issue.  We feel it is a requisite to identifying an appropriate regulatory path.  Therefore, we wish to complete our search for information before conducting the next meeting.

We expect to have the information gathered and compiled in time for our meeting on April 16.  Thanks for staying in touch.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
From:  ”c.Russell Wood@hughes.net” <jrwoodprc@hughes.net>
To:  ”Phil Schroeder” <phil.schroeder@dnr.mo.gov>
Date:  03/06/2009 09:49 AM
Subject:  Re: March 19 Meeting Cancelled – Water Classification Workgroup

Phil,
    Sorry you will not be with us at next week’s meeting but again I thank you and Rob for coming to Mtn. Grove. That meeting gave you a perspective of what the landowners think. And after all, they are the REAL conservationist.
    My own observation is; Wouldn`t your time and resources be better spent studying the need for or lack of need for additional regulations on small streams in Missouri, rather than what`s being done in other states? Aren`t our streams and conditions unique? Shouldn`t the determinations be made here? We`ve seen other examples of agencies copying out of state practices that have been absolute boondoggles.
    As a sovereign state we should be able to make our own decisions based on our own set of circumstances and facts. Isn`t that why we have 50 states?
Respectfully,
Russell Wood
__________________________________________________________________________________________
—– Original Message —–
From: Phil Schroeder
To: c.Russell Wood@hughes.net
Cc: Rob Morrison
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: March 19 Meeting Cancelled – Water Classification Workgroup
Mr. Wood,

Rob and I brought back a clear sense of the views held by the members of the Ozarks Property Rights Congress.  We appreciate the clarity in the message made by the members.    

The department agrees that rules should serve a meaningful purpose and that the purpose be specific to benefiting the people of Missouri.  Much of our discussion that evening revolved around how the department could respond to the demands of a federal law while serving the state’s needs.  Your group reminds us of the importance of carefully examining the options for regulatory action, as well as searching for options to avoid new rules, especially when the stated need for action initiates at the federal level.  

Thanks again for the opportunity to share thoughts on this emerging issue.  We look forward to our future discussions with you and your members.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on the renewed push in Congress to mandate NAIS

We are doing everything possible to get legislators to understand what NAIS is and what it is not! It is not a solution for food safety problems. Increased incidence of meat recalls are from contamination at the meatpacker level, not producer level. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill included $14.5 million for NAIS.

R-CALF USA is constantly in touch with members of Congress attempting to get the message across to them.  Max Thornsbury, R-CALF USA president, testified on March 11  before the  U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. After his testimony, he commented “Rather than listen to the recommendations of actual livestock producers, Congress and USDA are listening to the eartag companies and meatpackers that stand to make millions of dollars, if not billions, off NAIS,” Thornsberry said. For a complete look at what was said in that hearing go to the R-CALF link and then click on Animal ID.

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bills to keep your eyes on

Some disturbing bills are floating through Congress. Check them out.

HR 875 (Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009)

This bill sends up a red flag on the ability to grow our own food.  Check out Section 3, Definitions, Section 14. (14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term `food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. I take this to mean, this bill will regulate everything we grow, including our backyard gardens. Go to this website and type in HR 875 to read the complete bill:  http://thomas.loc.gov/
 ____________________________________________________________________________

Also, on the red flag list are the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act” and  “Serve America Act”

At best these are overly expensive pieces of legislation that spread more government ideas throughout the nation’s school systems. Read about them and read the bills themselves. Then call your legislators and give them your conclusions.

Click on the link to read the entire article about these bills (an excerpt is provided below the web address):  http://www.prisonplanet.com/house-passes-mandatory-national-service-bill.html

Thursday, March 19, 2009
The House passed a bill yesterday which includes disturbing language indicating young people will be forced to undertake mandatory national service programs as fears about President Barack Obama’s promised “civilian national security force” intensify.
 The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act, was passed yesterday by a 321-105 margin and now goes to the Senate.
 Under section 6104 of the bill, entitled “Duties,” in subsection B6, the legislation states that a commission will be set up to investigate, “Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.”
 Section 120 of the bill also discusses the “Youth Engagement Zone Program” and states that “service learning” will be “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.”
 “The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 “new service opportunities” under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional “corps” to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation,” reports Fox News. The Senate is also considering a similar piece of legislation known as the “Serve America Act,” which also includes language about “Youth Engagement Zones”.

Alex Jones welcomes Russell Wood of the Ozarks Property Rights Congress (Ozarks PRC) in Missouri who is fighting property registration, hunting permit restrictions and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).