[Blackbelly] USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration
I just got this today. Wanted to pass it along. Oneta and The Gang www.johnsonquarterhorses.com Don't tell GOD what to do, just report for duty! --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Liberty Ark Coalition [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Liberty Ark Coalition [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 10:18 AM Dear Oneta For immediate release: For more information, contact: December 1, 2008 Karin Bergener at 330-298-0065 Judith McGeary at 512-243-9404 USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration But Agency and Big Ag Still Deny Their Plans As part of the USDA’s ongoing pattern of misleading tactics, the agency and industry organizations are backing away from an internal USDA memo that outlines how to force registration of real estate holding livestock, horses, or poultry under USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The USDA memo, issued on September 22, 2008, dictates the procedure by which state agencies shall register animal owners’ properties despite the owners’ objections, if the owners refuse to voluntarily register. “The memo not only calls for mandatory registrations, but for branding individuals as ‘dissenters,’” notes Col. (Ret.) Randy Givens, a founder of the Liberty Ark Coalition (LAC), an alliance formed to fight NAIS. “The USDA’s document states that people who refuse to ‘voluntarily’ register their property will not only be involuntarily assigned a registration number, but will also be assigned a special code that designates their refusal to ‘volunteer.’” Under NAIS, the premises registrations are gathered into a massive national database. Individual animals will each be tagged, using mostly microchip devices, and animal owners, even those with pets, will have to report to the government whenever they buy or sell animals, or animals die, or they take the animal off their property for events such as trail rides or shows. Most independent farmers and pet owners of livestock or horses have objected to the extensive costs and government intrusion of the system. Industrial agriculture operations, which will be able to avoid individual tagging by using group identification, support NAIS. USDA’s 2005 plan for NAIS called for it to become mandatory by 2009. However, in response to widespread protests by animal owners, USDA announced in 2007 that the program would be voluntary at the federal level. That change in strategy moved implementation of the mandatory NAIS down to the states, allowing USDA to disclaim responsibility. Since then, many states have been using federal guidelines and funding, under Cooperative Agreements, to implement mandatory or coercive NAIS programs. Given USDA’s past actions in pushing NAIS despite objections, the memo was an unwelcome, but not surprising, development to animal owners and activists. “It’s been clear to us for some time that USDA planned to use existing disease programs to register citizens’ property,” stated Karin Bergener, a horse owner and Steering Committee member of the LAC. According to Bergener, “At an industry conference last year, several state agriculture officials discussed their plans to force premises registrations and conversion to NAIS-compliant microchip tags. The September USDA memo just puts this plan into writing.” After two groups, the LAC and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA), made the memo public on November 1, concerned animal owners promptly started calling their state departments of agriculture to inquire what it meant. In response, USDA and pro-NAIS industry organizations such as the American Horse Council (AHC) have launched a campaign to re-cast the memo. “This is the usual response; they are denying the plain meaning of the memo, “ says Judith McGeary, Executive Director of FARFA and herself a small farmer. “In a recent letter, AHC declared that anti-NAIS activists did not understand the memo and that the memo was discussing plans for some unspecified time in the future,” says McGeary. “But the memo was issued by the agency, written in the present tense, with no caveats or limitations.” Some USDA regional officials have stated that they haven’t even read the memo. Some state agriculture officials have said they do not plan to enforce it, while one state agency has said it will be enforced only for programs paid for by the USDA. McGeary questions, “What would they have done if activists hadn’t publicized the memo? The agencies’ pattern is to push NAIS behind closed doors, and to try to discredit any opposition by disclaiming the agencies’ own written plans once revealed. The agencies and businesses that
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 4, Issue 136
Nancy, The next thing that will happen is that humans will be fined for their emissions. Sharon -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nancy Tom Richardson Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 5:25 PM To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 4, Issue 136 Just heard this on the radio on a program called ag talk. They are now trying to impliment a permit: fee for every animal you own for the Green house gas it emits. I believe every dairy cow is $85 per year, beef cow i think they said $70 and pigs 60. They didn't mention sheep. but you know they will. They are taking coments at the epa level. This is to help green house emissions controled by them even though they are suppose to only do cars factories etc. Someone else might want to check into this one. To get all the facts but it is scary. Couldn't afford a sheep permit. They aren't worth that much more. Nancy - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 5:01 PM Subject: Blackbelly Digest, Vol 4, Issue 136 Send Blackbelly mailing list submissions to blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.in fo or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of Blackbelly digest... Today's Topics: 1. USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration (o johnson) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 09:07:14 -0800 (PST) From: o johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Blackbelly] USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 I just got this today. Wanted to pass it along. Oneta and The Gang www.johnsonquarterhorses.com ? Don't tell GOD what to do, just report for duty! --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Liberty Ark Coalition [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Liberty Ark Coalition [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 10:18 AM Dear Oneta For immediate release: For more information, contact: December 1, 2008 Karin Bergener at 330-298-0065 Judith McGeary at 512-243-9404 USDA Memo Mandates NAIS Premises Registration But Agency and Big Ag Still Deny Their Plans As part of the USDA?s ongoing pattern of misleading tactics, the agency and industry organizations are backing away from an internal USDA memo that outlines how to force registration of real estate holding livestock, horses, or poultry under USDA?s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The USDA memo, issued on September 22, 2008, dictates the procedure by which state agencies shall register animal owners? properties despite the owners? objections, if the owners refuse to voluntarily register. ?The memo not only calls for mandatory registrations, but for branding individuals as ?dissenters,?? notes Col. (Ret.) Randy Givens, a founder of the Liberty Ark Coalition (LAC), an alliance formed to fight NAIS. ?The USDA?s document states that people who refuse to ?voluntarily? register their property will not only be involuntarily assigned a registration number, but will also be assigned a special code that designates their refusal to ?volunteer.?? Under NAIS, the premises registrations are gathered into a massive national database. Individual animals will each be tagged, using mostly microchip devices, and animal owners, even those with pets, will have to report to the government whenever they buy or sell animals, or animals die, or they take the animal off their property for events such as trail rides or shows. Most independent farmers and pet owners of livestock or horses have objected to the extensive costs and government intrusion of the system. Industrial agriculture operations, which will be able to avoid individual tagging by using group identification, support NAIS. USDA?s 2005 plan for NAIS called for it to become mandatory by 2009. However, in response to widespread protests by animal owners, USDA announced in 2007 that the program would be voluntary at the federal level. That change in strategy moved implementation of the mandatory NAIS down to the states, allowing USDA to disclaim responsibility. Since then, many states have been using federal guidelines and funding, under Cooperative Agreements, to implement mandatory or coercive NAIS programs. Given USDA?s past actions in pushing NAIS despite objections, the
[Blackbelly] Possible eye infection--running from scent glands on ewe
to admin: I read your response to my orgiinal post request. there were no photos or attachments. only a URL to a website that shows photos that is not associated with this listserv. If that is OK, then hopefully you can post my message. I believe the gist of the message will be lost trying to describe the problem if I do not point people to some pictures. here is the original post in plaintext if you can use it: I am new to sheep, and building up my flock. Have had no lambs yet and am just starting to breed my ram with young ewes. A day after putting one of the new ewes I bought recently in with our ram, her scent glands in front of her eyes appear to be running a bit. We believe her to be about 7 months old and possibly in her first heat. Please take a look at these pictures. The black-looking pointy, sticky hair in front of her eyes is very unusual for her: http://picasaweb.google.com/mwsmotorsports/Beatrice_blackbelly_ewe112908802PM# I am wondering if it's a natural reaction to being in heat, or if she's got an eye infection? Her eyes otherwise look good and are not watering or inflamed. -Michael ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] IMPORTANT - short notice for transport trip
hello everyone! my apologies for posting a market item on a non-standard day but I have a situation that has developed within the past 24 hours that may require me to start the DEC/JAN transport trip in about a week from today in order to meet time constraints on a large load indications now are that I will need to make a west coast clockwise loop starting from TX - the route would be TX AZ CA OR WA ID WI IA MI PA NY OH WI IL AR KS TX - that does not totally cover all of the commitments I have made for transport so there most likely would be some transport after this coast to coast run but I will work that out while on the road - I will be contacting people who have reservations along this route privately to confirm that they can obtain vet papers ASAP but feel free to ring my bell if you are one of these people if you have any need to move animals along the route above please get with me ASAP - I always need pick up city/state, drop off city/state, and a brief description of the animals in every email please I do not monitor the groups closely so please reply directly to my private email address at [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- questions? Ron and Corgi co-pilot Tina private email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] more than 2500 animals transported in 8 years of service http://TravelWithRonK.com ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
