Why are Republicans shoving NAIS down our throats ?
Consumers looking for organic, healthy foods but the GOP doesn't get it
by Chris in Paris - 3/10/2006 04:25:00 PM
Isn't it funny how the GOP Congress can ignore consumer direction like this? The GOP is so owned by the big food (really, Big Chemical) industry that they overlook the realities of the market. They GOP has no idea any more what the market actually wants because they are so interested in protecting the status quo of the market. I try to purchase organic food when I can and one of my favorite little wines is a great Anjou red from an organic winery in the Loire. The price gap over here in Europe has been declining but it's still not cheap to go organic but the demand is clearly there. Who wants to feed themselves of their families steroids, pesticides and other strange chemicals in their every day meals if they can find something that is more natural?
The GOP doesn't get it but at least consumers do.
source : http://americablog.blogspot.com/
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Here's what the Dirt Doctor, Howard Garrett, thinks of the NAIS Legislation.
National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
Letters, General Information and Articles on NAIS
Howard's Letter
RE: NAIS (National Animal Identification System)
The NAIS program should be cancelled. It is an insane invasion of private property and will do nothing to protect anyone from anything.
Just a few of my objections are as follows:
1) NAIS is a new form of taxation we don’t need.
2) Its rules are a gross invasion of personal property and
freedom
3) Tracking animals that are not in the food chain such as horses,
llamas, is a complete waste of time and money.
4) NAIS will have no effect on preventing illnesses mad cow
disease.
5) It will hurt the consumers who deal with small farmers
6) NAIS will put small farmers out of business.
7) Giant producers like the idea – that’s reason enough to
abandon the program.
For more information about this bureaucratic boondoggle, check out the information we have at DirtDoctor.com.
Sincerely,
Howard Garrett
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National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Q&A-The Hard Questions
1. What is the NAIS? A scheme hatched by the federal government and corporate agribusiness to tag every animal in the US with an identity number and to track every animal through processing. The excuse for it is the discovery of two cases of mad cow disease (BSE or bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
2. What does it require? It requires every farm in the country to register as a “premises.” Each registered premises will then have to register & tag every alpaca, bison, cow, emu, goat, horse, llama, sheep, swine, and all poultry. (As far as we know right now, catfish and goldfish are exempted.) It provides no exemptions. If you have as much as one chicken, you must register.
3. What does it mean? This is not about controlling disease, it’s about controlling farmers. When social security was first introduced, the government promised the people that the number would never be used for “identification purposes.” But today you can’t get health care, insurance, a bank account, an apartment, a job, or your tooth pulled without giving a social security number.
4. Isn’t it voluntary? Only for now. The present USDA “Draft Strategic Plan” calls for making it mandatory by January 2008. “Mandatory” means that they will fine, arrest, or jail you if you refuse to comply. For the system to work, the government obviously must force every farm and every farmer to register every animal, and no one will be able to seek veterinary care, transport, sell, or process animals without registry. In other words, the freedom to farm that has belonged to mankind since Creation will be abolished.
5. Who and what is behind the NAIS? According to the USDA National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Draft Strategic Plan 2005 to 2009, page 3, paragraph 1, at http://animalagriculture.org/aboutNIAA/members/memberdirectory.asp, “In 2002, the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA) initiated meetings that led to the development of the U.S. Animal Identification Plan (USAIP).” “Driving force – The strongest driving force for developing the NAIS is the risk of an outbreak of a foreign animal disease (FAD). There is broad support for NAIS among government, industry, and public stakeholders.” (“Stakeholders are defined as those individuals and groups in the public and private sectors who are interested in and/or affected by the Department's activities and decisions.” http://www.ci.doe.gov/cigapol.htm.)
6. Who is the National Institute of Animal Agriculture? NIAA website states, “The mission of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture is to provide a forum for building consensus and advancing solutions for animal agriculture and to provide continuing education and communication linkages to animal agriculture professionals.” http://animalagriculture.org/aboutNIAA/facts/factsheet.asp. In fact, the NIAA is a national agribusiness organization whose purpose appears to be lobbying government for laws and policies that favour agribusiness. A brief glance at the board of directors seems to confirm that, since all are drawn from agribusiness companies, industry groups, or schools of agriculture (which notoriously favour corporate agribusiness over small farmers and sustainable agriculture). http://animalagriculture.org/aboutNIAA/leadersstaff/BOD.asp. A list of members leads to the same conclusion. http://animalagriculture.org/aboutNIAA/members/memberdirectory.asp.
7. Who will bear the burden of NAIS? Small farmers, and especially those engaged in the New Agriculture (“permaculture” or “sustainable agriculture”). First, they will be forced to pay for NAIS, at least in part. Second, they will be forced to work for NAIS. In the words of the NAIS Draft Strategic Plan, page 14, paragraph 3, “All groups will need to provide labour.” NAIS will add yet another cost disadvantage to small farmers and the New Agriculture, and will make local agriculture less competitive with agribusiness. http://animalagriculture.org/aboutNIAA/members/memberdirectory.asp.
8. Won’t NAIS help prevent and control disease? No, NAIS isn’t about preventing or controlling disease, it’s about marketing. When a case of mad cow disease (or any other disease) surfaces, NAIS aims to protect meat producers’ markets by tracking animals through processing to “prove” that only a few animals are affected and so prevent a public revulsion against their meat. The most effective way to control disease is to produce meat and milk for local instead of national markets and “closed herd” techniques.
source: http://www.freetennessee.org/NAIS_Q&A.html
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WHAT COLOR IS YOUR STEAK ?
Time for another "Gooberhead Award" [Beanie-cap breakdown], presented periodically to someone in the news who has their tongue running 100 miles per hour ... but forgot to put their brain in gear.
Today we have three Goobers, all trying to convince us consumers that there's nothing devious or dangerous about the politically powerful meat industry using "modified atmosphere packaging."
Tyson, Wal-Mart, and other food giants have been gassing their precut packaged meats with carbon monoxide, which turns steak puckishly pink. This makes weeks-old meat appear to be as fresh as the day it was cut. But, wait – we've been taught that the clearest indicator of freshness is the meat's color: Pink, good. Brown, bad. It's raw consumer deception to let industry pass off old meat as pink and fresh.
Yet, the FDA has allowed just that, without even holding public hearings or requiring that gassed meat be labeled. Oh, says Laura Tarantino, FDA's head of additive safety, "If we had evidence that consumers would be misled [by the color alteration] ... we'd be concerned." Hello, Gooberhead, before you okayed this deception, you were given three separate studies showing that, indeed, meat shoppers do rely on color.
Then there's Ann Boeckman, a Washington lobbyist for one of the meat gassers. This Goober gaily proclaims that perpetually pink meat won't cover up spoilage because bad meat will have "slime formations and a bulging package." Gosh, Ann, I'd really rather have a clue before the meat turns totally rotten, wouldn't you?
John Catsimatidis is Goober No. 3. Honcho of a grocery store chain selling the pink stuff, John has no patience with those who're balking at the trick meat: "This is what's going to happen in the meat business," he says flatly.
If you consumers would like to have something to say about that, call STOP (Safe Table Our Priority) at 802/863-0555.
source: http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2006-03-10/pols_hightower.html
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