    Free Enterprise - an economic and political doctrine holding that a capitalist economy can regulate itself in a freely
    competitive market through the relationship of supply and demand with a minimum of governmental intervention and
    regulation.

NAIS 101

    Industrial agriculture and technology companies are urging the government to adopt a program that will drive many small
    farms out of business, burden horse owners, invade our privacy, increase the cost of meat, and expand the government
    bureaucracy. If the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is made mandatory, anyone who owns even one horse,
    chicken, cow, pig, sheep, goat, or any other livestock or exotic, will have to:

Register their property with the state and federal government;
Identify each animal, in most cases with electronic identification;
Report events to a government-accessible database within 24 hours, including every dead or missing animal, private sales, and regional shows.

NAIS will:

violate individuals' Constitutional rights, including freedom of religion and right to privacy;
reduce the availability of local, organic, and grass-fed foods;
raise the cost of food, because tagging and tracking costs will be passed on to consumers;
create a massive government bureaucracy.

NAIS will not:

make food safer since most food-borne illnesses, such as e-coli and salmonella, are due to food processing and handling practices - not live animals;
protect us against bioterrorism - the proposed microchips and radio tags are easily reprogrammed and large databases are easy targets for terrorists or other criminals.

NAIS is both a federal and a state issue:

The USDA says that the NAIS is voluntary at the federal level. But, USDA is funding the States to implement NAIS at the state level, and that funding creates incentives for States to use mandatory, misleading, or coercive methods in order to increase participation. And, Congress is considering putting NAIS in bills to fund and implement NAIS.

Source: Liberty Ark Coalition

REQUEST TO DEFUND
NAIS

July 15, 2009

In The News

Organizations Urge Elimination of Funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)

The undersigned organizations urge you to support an amendment eliminating funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) from the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill. Contrary to its stated purposes, NAIS will not address animal disease or food safety problems. Instead, NAIS imposes high costs and paperwork burdens on family farmers and creates incentives for CAFOs and vertically integrated systems. This burdensome, ill-conceived, and badly implemented program should not receive any federal funding.

USDA’s plans for NAIS describe a far-reaching three-step program that calls for every person who owns even one livestock or poultry animal to register their property, tag each animal when it leaves the property it was born on, and report a long list of movements to a database within 24 hours. The provisions would apply whether or not that animal is used for commercial purposes. NAIS would directly impact millions of animal owners. Group or lot identification would only be allowed where animals are managed as a group from birth to death and never commingled with animals outside of their production system. In practice, group identification would apply mainly, if not entirely, to confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and vertically integrated operations

NAIS is fundamentally flawed for multiple reasons:….

Sincerely,

Acres

Adopt a Family Farm

Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network

American Goat Society

American Grassfed Association

American Indian Horse Registry

American Policy Center

Arkansas Animal Producers Association

California Farmers Union

Carolina Farm Stewardship

Carriage Operators of North America

Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry

Citizens for Private Property Rights (MO)

Colorado Independent Cattlegrowers Association

Community Farm Alliance (KY)

Cornucopia Institute

Dakota Resource Council

Dakota Rural Action

Davis Mountain Trans Pecos Heritage Association (TX)

Downsize DC

Edible Austin

Edible San Marcos (TX)

Empire State Family Farm Alliance (NY)

Equus Survival Trust

Fair Food Matters (MI)

Farm Aid

Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

Food and Water Watch

Freedom 21

Grassroots International

Innovative Farmers of Ohio

International Texas Longhorn Association

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement

Jackson County Local Action Coalition (OR)

Land Stewardship Project (MN)

Maine Alternative Agriculture Association

Marshall County Citizens for Property Rights (AL)

Massachusetts Smallholders Alliance

Michigan Farmers Union

Michigan Land Trustees

Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance

Mississippi Livestock Markets Association

Missouri Rural Crisis Center

Missourians for Local Control

Montana Cattlemen's Association

Montana Farmers Union

National Association of Farm Animal Welfare

National Family Farm Coalition

National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association

Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society

North Carolina Contract Poultry Growers Association

Northeast Organic Farming Association – Massachusetts

Northeast Organic Farming Association – New Hampshire

Northeast Organic Farming Association – New York

Northeast Organic Farming Association - Vermont

Northeast Organic Farming Association Interstate Council

Northern Illinois Draft Horse and Mule Association

Northern New Mexico Stockman's Association

Northern Plains Resource Council (MT)

Oregon Livestock Producers Association

Organic Consumers Association

Organization for Competitive Markets

Ozarks Property Rights Congress (MO)

Paragon Foundation

Powder River Basin Resource Council (WY)

Property Rights Congress

R-CALF USA

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

Secure Arkansas

Small Farmer's Journal

Small Farms Conservancy

South Dakota Stockgrowers Association

Sovereignty International

Sustainable Food Center (TX)

Texas Eagle Forum

Texas Farmers Union

Texas Landowners Council

Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

Tuscaloosa Property Rights Alliance (AL)

Virginia Land Rights Coalition

Western Organization of Resource Councils

Weston A Price Foundation

Wintergarden Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (TX)

For more information, please contact Judith McGeary at 866-687-6452 (office), 512-484-8821 (cell), or Judith@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org

USDA HEARS NO NAIS

June 15, 2009

In The News

Sovereignty International, Inc.

USDA gets an earfull about NAIS

Results from the USDA's "Listening Sessions" are now clear: No NAIS, no way, no time! Here are two short summaries of what livestock owners had to say at the listening sessions in Missouri and in Texas. Share them with your neighbors and ask them to tell their congress-critters to not allow the USDA to implement any form of NAIS.

The Great Water Heist...

Also known as the Clean Water Restoration Act (S787) is scheduled for full committee consideration Thursday, June 18. Call your senator at (202) 224-3121 and make sure he/she knows how you feel about this confiscation of all water and the expansion of government power.

The Administrator. ..

You may also want to see some of the 20+ Czars that "Administrator" Obama has appointed so far. This unprecedented expansion of executive power is designed to bypass congressional approval and oversight. These new "Czars" are accountable to no one but Administrator Obama.

To join the credit union, click the logo below

GOVERNMENT SEEKS

LAND REGISTRATION

April 16, 2009

In The News

Another one of Sustainable America Programs to manage your life and resources.

Locate In 48—Oklahoma’s program to implement voluntary statewide premises registration.

“Whether you raise cattle on the western plains of the state, have poultry in green country, or manage a family farm with just a few animals this program seeks to register premises.

The program is voluntary; do not allow your property to be brought into the program that opens the door to regulate your business and property.

SOVEREIGNTY INT'L CURRENT ASSESSMENT

January 31, 2009

In The News

NAIS video added to Sovereignty Library

"Every animal owner should see this video. The USDA is moving rapidly to mandate that every property where even a single chicken, cow, goat, pig, turkey, or any of 29 species of animals, be registered in a federal database. Moreover, every animal will have to be tagged with an RFID, and any movement off the property will have to be reported to the feds within 24 hours.

Once this system is in place, the EPA will have a way to enforce the "global warming" tax it recently publicized. Without the NAIS, the EPA would have no way of knowing how many livestock animals there are or where they are or who is liable for the tax. The NAIS makes enforcement possible.

Government is pushing hard for this National Animal Identification System, as are the makers of the tagging equipment and the major meat exporters. The only power on earth sufficient to stop this disaster is an informed electorate determined to melt the phone lines of their state and national officials."

NAIS DOCUMENTS

January 31, 2009

In The News

NAIS Draft Strategic Plan 4/25/05

“USDA and our stakeholders in animal agriculture must continue moving forward with the National Animal Identification System. NAIS must be implemented for our country to maintain its reputation as having the most efficient and effective animal health surveillance and response system in the world. I believe a fully functional animal tracking system will keep us competitive in international markets, helping us retain and expand our market share. This Department is wholly committed to making NAIS a reality.” - Mike Johanns; Secretary of Agriculture

Official Animal Identification Numbering Systems Fact Sheet

How To Obtain an AIN Tag and When To Apply It

In order to obtain AIN tags, producers must first register their premises and obtain a premises identification number (PIN). This requirement exists because all AIN tags are linked to a producer’s PIN in the AIN management system. Premises registration is currently free and is being carried out by all 50 States, two territories, and five tribes. A list of State and

tribal animal identification coordinators is available at <http://www.usda.gov/nais>, under the sidebar “Contact Your State or Tribe.”

Official Animal Identification Numbering Systems

"As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard U.S. animal health, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated the implementation of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004. The NAIS is a cooperative State-Federal-industry program administered by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The main objective is to develop and implement a comprehensive information system which will:

• Support ongoing animal disease monitoring, surveillance, detection, and responsecapabilities in order to complete current eradication programs;

• Enable State and Federal animal health officials to respond rapidly and effectively toanimal health emergencies such as foreign animal disease outbreaks or emergingdomestic diseases with significant economic, social, or public health consequences;

• Enable State and Federal agencies to identify animals that are lost or scatteredthrough natural disasters such as hurricanes or stolen at any time; and,

• Enable State and Federal animal health officials to promptly ascertain animal healthstatus for the purpose of issuing intrastate, interstate, or international animal health movement certificates.

When an animal disease is detected, the first question is, “Where has the infected animal been?” Answering this question is critical in determining what other animals were exposed and estimating the size and scope of the outbreak. The more quickly this can be done, the less the disease will spread, and the less impact the outbreak will have. The ultimate long-term goal of the NAIS is to provide State and Federal officials with the capability to identify all animals and premises that have had direct contact with a disease of concern within 48 hours after discovery."

NAIS User Guide

Voluntary NAIS also encompasses animal identification and animal movement tracing systems. These components are currently being refined by NAIS’ industry and private sector partners. While the focus today is on premises registration, animal owners should know that the other components of NAIS are additional options for them when they’re ready to make

decisions about what level of participation best suits their needs.

OPPOSITION GROUP

January 31, 2009

In The News

Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

"Although NAIS is voluntary right now in most States, and there are no federal regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has stated that it wants every single person who owns even one animal to be involved by 2009. The USDA is funding mandatory and coercive programs in some States, and the program is likely to continue expanding unless Congress and State legislatures put a stop to it."

"The NAIS does not distinguish between large corporate factory farms and the smallest family farm, pleasure horse owner, or the grandmother with a few laying hens. The NAIS will drive small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business, increasing the consolidation of our food supply into the hands of a few large, multinational corporations. The government is wasting your taxpayer dollars on a program that will lead to increased food prices and decreased quality."

   OPPOSITION GROUP

   January 31, 2009

In The News

NONAIS.org

Legal Defense Fund Calls for Obama Administration to Permanently Stop USDA Animal Identification Rule

"FALLS CHURCH, Va. - (Business Wire) The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund called on the new administration to permanently halt a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rule that would effectively mandate the implementation of the first two stages of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for thousands of Americans.

The proposed rule, entitled the “Official Animal Identification Numbering Systems,” was published by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the Federal Register January 13. On Tuesday, the Obama administration ordered federal agencies to halt all pending regulation until they can be reviewed.

“The APHIS regulation is further evidence of the department’s unrelenting effort to make a so called voluntary program mandatory, and it should be permanently stopped by the new administration,” said acting Fund president Pete Kennedy.

“This effort by the former Bush administration is yet another back-door attempt to circumvent the will of the U.S. Congress which has repeatedly failed to pass legislation making NAIS mandatory and the will of four separate state legislatures that have passed legislation explicitly prohibiting the mandatory implementation of NAIS,” said Kennedy."

In The News

Fair Use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material, the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, and as such constitutes "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

Our Privacy Policy: The only personal information we give to any third party is the information you provide to us when using your debit or credit card to make a donation or purchase. All other information and correspondence are strictly confidential. We never sell, give away or barter mail lists or other information to any person, business, organization or corporation for any reason. We will not provide any personal information about you to any government or agency or employee of any government, foreign or domestic, except when we are under a court order to do so.






Other Resources
	Supporting Documents The Bill Of Rights: (Outside Document) Oklahoma Constitution: (Outside Document) The United States Constitution: (Outside Document) The Declaration of Independence: (Outside Document) The NAFTA Agreement: (Outside Document) CAFTA: (OK-Safe Document) SAFETEA-LU Public Law 109-59: (OK-Safe Document) USDOT Corridors of the Future Program: (OK-Safe Document) Participants in USDOT Corridors of the Future Program: (OK-Safe Document) State of Oklahoma Oklahoma's Official Website (http://www.ok.gov/) Oklahoma Governor's Office (http://www.ok.gov/governor/index.php) Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor's Office (http://www.ok.gov/ltgovernor/) Oklahoma Secretary of State (http://www.sos.state.ok.us/) Oklahoma Agency Directory (http://www.ok.gov/genthree/agency.php?let=all) Oklahoma Office of State Finance (http://ok.gov/OSF/index.html) Oklahoma Open Books (http://www.ok.gov/okaa/) Oklahoma State Legislature (http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/) Oklahoma State Courts Network (http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/start.asp) Oklahoma State Constitution (http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/index.asp?ftdb=STOKCN&level=1) Oklahoma State Statutes (http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/index.asp?ftdb=STOKST&level=1) Oklahoma State Election Board (http://www.ok.gov/~elections/) Find Your Legislators (http://www.capitolconnect.com/oklahoma/default.aspx) Links To Other Organizations Corridor Watch: (http://www.corridorwatch.org/) Freedom 21 (www.freedom21.org) American Policy Center: (http://www.americanpolicy.org/) Eco-Logic Powerhouse: (http://www.eco.freedom.org/) Sovereignty International, Inc. (http://sovereignty.net) Human Events Online : (http://www.humanevents.com/) Judicial Watch: (http://judicialwatch.org/) The August Review: (http://www.augustreview.com/) Trans-Texas Corridor: (http://www.keeptexasmoving.org/) WorldNet Daily: (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/) Texans for Immigration Reform (www.tfir.org) OCPAC: (Oklahoma Conservative PAC) Oklahoma Corridor Watch: (http://www.oklahomacorridorwatch.com/) The Conservative Caucus: (http://www.conservativeusa.org/) Conservative Caucus War Room (http://www.NAUwarroom.org) The John Birch Society : (http://www.jbs.org/) The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps: (http://www.minutemanhq.com/)