Post by Sherry on Feb 4, 2008 18:47:05 GMT -5
No. Despite recent claims by some, NAIS does nothing to stop disease or contamination in the food supply. NAIS was not intended for this purpose. The goal of the National Animal Identification System is to provide 48-hour trace back to the farm of origin in the case of problems so that the big agri-biz industry can increase their exports to foreign markets. NAIS is about expanded profits. Also realize that “48-hour track back” is 48 hours after the problem is detected. That could be weeks or even months after the problem actually occurred. NAIS is not about disease prevention - it is about track-back and more importantly expanded profits for the big corporate producers who want more export markets. Everything else about NAIS is a ruse to get the public to swallow their swill.
Most contamination of the food supply happens after the animals leave the farm. For example if animal intestines are improperly mixed with ground beef, a hydraulic hose breaks in a meat cutting factory or if a cutting blade breaks and leaves metal shards in the food it makes the food unacceptible for human consumption. If the problem is not reported at the factory and gets discovered later after the food has already been distributed and possibly sold to consumers then there is a recall. We frequently hear about this happening in the news. There is already a system to handle this type of problem. We do not need a new layer of government, paperwork and fees for this. Furthermore, the problem has nothing to do with the farm which is what NAIS is focused on.
As to disease, meat sold in stores and restaurants is already USDA inspected at slaughter and processing. If there were problems with disease in an animal then the inspectors should catch it at that level. Again NAIS does not help at all with disease prevention - it is after the fact and duplication of existing systems. The scary reality about meat from the big commercial producers is that there are not enough USDA inspectors so the inspection job is not getting done. This is part of why there are so many recalls. If the USDA would do its job then there would be no need for NAIS. NAIS is being used by the USDA as a diversion to hide from the fact that they aren’t up to snuff.
NAIS does nothing to stop the spread of BSE (Mad Cow Disease). It is believed that BSE is caused by the big Agri-Biz corporations and factory farmers practice of grinding up old cows and feeding them back to cows. The common practice used to be to grind up cow parts and add them to the cow feed to increase the protein levels of the feed. This also saved money on the disposal of the slaughter wastes. That practice has already been banned. Enforcing that ban is the solution to BSE and related diseases.
NAIS does not help with the much feared Avian Flu (H5N1) which is spread by wild birds. The biggest threat of bird flu and other diseases is to the large poultry factory style operations which have mono-genetic cultures. All of their livestock is the same genome and thus easily wiped out by a single disease incidence. NAIS will do nothing to protect them or consumers. NAIS will make it very hard for regular people like you and me to keep a backyard flock for egg and meat production. Once again NAIS is the wrong tool being used on the wrong patient. The real question here is if the government is forcing NAIS down our throats why does the USDA turn around and want to ship American chickens to China for slaughter and then back here again for consumption. Think money.
A better solution is for consumers to buy their meat from local farmers who raise their livestock on pasture where this is a non-issue. Buying local also means that your food was produced locally, you support your local farmers and less petroleum is used to ship the meat across the country. We are being told that we should use less petrol, right?! Buying local keeps your money in your community rather than sending it far away to the pockets of big corporate ‘farms’. I put farms in quotes because what they do in their factories and feedlots is so far away from farming it is a joke. Big Agri-Biz does not like the Buy Local movement because it hurts their profits. NAIS will devastate the Buy Local movement - something Big Agri-Biz would love to see happen. Believe me you won’t see Tyson and the other big boys selling down at your local farmer’s market!
One of the NAISty things about the USDA’s proposal is that under NAIS they can come in and take your livestock without a warrant, without due process, without a legal hearing. They can then destroy or redistribute your animals without compensation to you. Valuable breeding stock can be wiped out in the crack of an inspector’s handgun and you had better not get in their way or you could go to prison. Failure to register your home or farm with a Premise ID already faces a $1,000 a day fine in some states. This is a violation of our Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights as outlined in the Bill of Rights.
NAIS will not prevent disease but it will dramatically raise costs for small farmers, homesteaders and ultimately for consumers. It will cost us money in fees, fines, tags and equipment. It will cost us time to fill out all the mountains of paperwork and track every individual little baby chick, every piglet, every lamb reporting every ‘event’. This added cost will drive many farmers out of business. The result will be a loss of local small farms and a consolidation of our food supply into the hands of fewer and fewer big corporations. NAIS is another example of Big Brother government helping Big Agri-Biz make more profits at the public’s expense. Remember to follow the money trail.
For more information on this article, please use the following link:
nonais.org/index.php/does-nais-stop-disease-2/