NAIS for us?

[dunappy]

You left off the Yahoo group specifically for New Mexicans.

NONAISNewMexico : Vote NO to NAIS in New Mexico

As far as responses go, I got nothing but a " It's a federal program and we wont' do anything about it" from my state Reps and canned pre-programed responses from the US congressmen.

[dunappy]

The USDA ALREADY has in place an animal Tracing System they they are NOT using effectively. They can do what is wanted in NAIS WITHOUT forcing people to register their property in perpetuity. The USDA just needs to get off their lazy rear end and do the work they think NAIS will do for them.

Originally Posted by Lovehound

Just reading the topic and not having done any other research, the principle of NAIS at least in terms of goals sounds like a good one (protect the public health) but the way it sounds like it's intended to be carried out I don't see how anybody other than big business can possibly make any profits. I expect it would drive small operators out of business, and all that would be left would be the big corporations who would pass on the increased costs to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Something should be done to protect our health, but I don't think this is it. They should go back to the drawing boards and come back with something less onerous.

[esbee]

NAIS is being funded by our tax dollars being pushed at them by corporate ag.

Those who think NAIS is a good thing need a history lesson....

1938- Nazi Germany requires that all Jews must register their premises and list all their property with the govt. We all know how that turned out!

In the same time period, Stalin wanted govt ownership of all the farms for the purpose of putting their produce on the world market. When the farmers resisted, troops were sent in to gun down the protesters. Millions also starved as they were not allowed to eat anything they grew.

[jadegoat]

Poncho_NM

NAIS isn't good for anyone but big farmers. As a Goat breeder there are already yearly tests for diseases I do every year. Plus all of my goats are registered with two and sometimes three registries.
Why does the Government need me to register my herd with them when at any time it can be traced through my papers and tatoos? And through the WALL blood test?
Also, why should the large farmers be exempt? They are providing the food source to our stores not me. I would also bet my farm is far more sanitary and maintained than the big farms not to mention all of my animals are loved and not herded around and identified by their number.
How many times have you gone by a big cattle farm and seen the cows standing on mountains of their own waste??

[txroughneck]

WOW...so much hostility already. I just want to say that EVERYONE is entitled to their right to protest, freedom of speech, freedom of personal thought...and many more. I grew up in the largest dairy producing county in Texas. It is commonly reffered to as the "Cowboy Capital of the World". We had the "Cowboy Hall of Fame" and all of that stuff. Anyways, needless to say, there has been alot of livestock run through the county I grew up in. Growing up on a farm and showing animals in the county show, I think I may be somewhat biased when I say that this is a VERY BAD IDEA! I am not a cowboy, nor do I act like one. You would have no idea that I grew up in the area that I did. My questions to all of ya'll are as follows: What ever happened to our sense of "personal policing"? Why do we always feel that the government needs to protect us from ourselves? What happened to our sense of pride and our work ethic? I should be able to raise a small crop and have some livestock to feed my family and friends/neighbors. I believe that our government is already extremely too large and far over extended into our lives. I'm not one of those "crazy right wing nut jobs" or part of the "crazy mob". I'm just a guy with a family that cares. I once fought for this country and now I work on an oil rig. I am moving to NM in about 4 months and if this is still on the table, I will voice my opinion to the NM deligates. This probably will never be proposed in TX so I'm not too concerned about it here. I just encourage anyone that has a strong opinion on this issue to stand up and make your voice heard...no matter which side you stand on. In a good solid debate, the best plan should succeed.

Justun

[Radicat]

Let me be very careful not to offend anyone with the truth. PAY ATTENTION FOLKS !! The Federal Government has been systematically taking control of our food source for years. The largest food producing companies are throwing money at politicians to achieve this. Genetic identification of grains is being backed already. It has been proposed that use of non-genetically altered seeds be outlawed in areas where major producers are using altered seeds, under the guise that natural seeds will contaminate the "patented" genetic stock. And, if a farmer has produce that is mixed due to contamination they will be accused of "patent" violation. At a minimum, their crops will be destroyed and the soil quarantined. And who do you think these small farmers will have to start buying their seeds from? New Mexico has some of the finest organic and heirloom seed producers in the world. They are under government scrutiny. If this continues, the person caught growing illegal tomatoes on their patio can expect a visit by the "Brown-Shirts". And, since they will be disrupting a government backed plan, they may be declared terrorists.

This proposal is being introduced in a form which they know will have to be watered down to get it on the books. Then, slowly, but surely, the law will be strengthened to something far worse than currently proposed. Let your representative know that you vote too.

[rancher01]

Hello my name is Sheldon I am writin a agrumentive esay on this topic i am a rancher my self and hate it can you give me some help [email]sheldonm0125@gmail.com[/email] thank you

[GregW]

I know very little about livestock but a lot about databases. A database as large as this will be fraught with errors in the form of missing, inaccurate, duplicate and plain wrong information. Correcting this information will be effectively impossible because the USDA wi9ll not hire the staff needed to do the work.

If the USDA uses this erroneous information to take “enforcement” action against any farm on the registry they will be open to law suits starting with “unlawful search and seizure”. No police agency can ever seize your property without a court warrant because an unwarranted search puts the searchers at risk of criminal prosecution as individuals.

It sounds like this was designed to place an uneven, and hence, unfair, processing burden on the smaller producers in order to eliminate competition for the major suppliers in the industry. The “exemption” for major producers is in the law for exactly this reason.

If the small farmers have not formed an organization with enough money (as if money is available on small farms) to hire sufficiently talented and connected lawyers to bring suits against the USDA as well as lobby for elimination of the Law the small farmers had darn well do it soon.