The Boulder Belt Blog: Keep NAIS Out of he 2007 Farm Bill

Friday, June 29, 2007

Keep NAIS Out of he 2007 Farm Bill

Tell Congress To Keep National Animal Identification Out of Farm Bill

The industrial agriculture companies have been pushing for a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for several years. The proposed NAIS program would require every person who owns even one livestock animal, right down to a single chicken or a pet horse, to register their property with the federal government, identify each animal (in most cases with microchips or other electronic identification), and report their movements to a database. This program would impose particularly heavy burdens on sustainable farmers raising animals on pasture because of the labor and costs. As a result, it would reduce the availability of organic and grass-fed products, and raise prices.

Because of the grassroots opposition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has limited NAIS to a voluntary program at the federal level (although some states have been more aggressive). But now the House Committee on Agriculture is considering a provision in the massive 2007 Farm Bill that would implement NAIS as part of the Country of Origin Labeling. The House Committee on Agriculture will vote on the bill July 12, so time is of the essence. Please contact them immediately, and tell them you want them to strip Section 121 from the Farm Bill and NOT to include NAIS! The Senate Committee on Agriculture will start working on its version of Farm Bill shortly as well, so we need to send them the same message.

(Scroll to bottom of this page to send letter to Congress)

Please also leave a short message for the following lawmakers if you are from their state. Your message can be as simple as "Say 'No' to NAIS and 'Yes' to COOL".

Blanche Lincoln (AR), (p) 202-224-4843, (f) 202-228-1371 Ken Salazar (CO), (p) 202-224-5852, (f) 202-228-5036 Saxby Chambliss (GA), (p) 202-224-3521, (f) 202-224-0103 Mike Crapo (ID), (p) 202-224-6142, (f) 202-228-1375 Tom Harkin (IA), (p) 202-224-3254, (f) 202-224-9369 Charles Grassley (IA), (p) 202-224-3744, (f) 515-288-5097 Richard Lugar (IN), (p) 202-224-4814, (f) 202-228-0360 Pat Roberts (KS), (p) 202-224-4774, (f) 202-224-3514 Mitch McConnell (KY), (p) 202-224-2541, (f) 202-224-2499 Debbie Stabenow (MI), (p) 202-224-4822 Norm Coleman (MN), (p) 202-224-5641, (f) 202-224-1152 Amy Klobuchar (MN), (p) 202-224-3244 Thad Cochran (MS), (p) 202-224-5054 Max Baucus (MT), (p) 202-224-2651, (f) 202-224-0515 E. Banjamin Nelson (NE), (p) 202-224-6551, (f) 202-228-0012 Kent Conrad (ND), (p) 202-224-2043, (f) 202-224-7776 Sherrod Brown (OH), (p): 202-224-2315, (f) 202-228-6321 Robert Casey, Jr. (PA), (p): 202-224-6324, (f) 202-228-0604 Lindsey Graham (SC), (p) 202-224-5972 John Thune (SD), (p) 202-224-2321, (f) 202-228-5429 Patrick Leahy (VT), (p) 202-224-4242

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12 Reasons to Buy Local (and Organic)

1)Freshness.
Locally-grown organic fruits and vegetables are usually harvested within 24 hours of being purchased by the consumer. Produce from California can't be that fresh.

2)Taste.
Produce picked and eaten at the height of freshness tastes better.

3)Nutrition.
Nutritional value declines, often dramatically, as time passes after harvest. Because locally-grown produce is freshest, it is more nutritionally complete.

4)Purity.
Eighty percent of American adults say they are concerned about the safety of the food they eat. They worry about residues of pesticides and fungicides. These materials are not permitted in an organic production system either before or after harvest.

5)Regional Economic Health.
Buying locally grown food keeps money within the community. This contributes to the health of all sectors of the local economy, increasing the local quality of life.

6)Variety.
Organic farmers selling locally are not limited to the few varieties that are bred for long distance shipping, high yields, and shelf life. Often they raise and sell wonderful unusual varieties you will never find on supermarket shelves.

7)Soil Stewardship.
Soil health is essential for the survival of our species. Conventional farming practices are rapidly depleting topsoil fertility. Creating and sustaining soil fertility is the major objective for organic growers.

8)Energy Conservation.
Buying locally grown organic foods decreases dependence on petroleum, a non- renewable energy source. One fifth of all petroleum now used in the United States is used in Agriculture. Organic production systems do not rely upon the input of petroleum derived fertilizers and pesticides and thus save energy at the farm. Buying from local producers conserves additional energy at the distribution level.

9)Environmental Protection.
Soil erosion; pesticide contamination of soil, air, and water; nitrate loading of waterways and wells; and elimination of planetary biodiversity are some of the problems associated with todayís predominate farming methods. Organic growers use practices that protect soil, air, and water resources; and that promote biodiversity.

10)Cost.
Conventional food processes don't reflect the hidden costs of the environmental, health and social consequences of predominate production practices- of, for instance, correcting a water supply polluted by agricultural runoff, or obtaining medical treatment for pesticide induced illness suffered by farmers or consumers. When these and other hidden costs are taken into account, as they should be, locally grown organic foods are seen clearly for the value they are, even if they cost a few pennies more.

11)A Step Toward Regional Food Self Reliance
. Dependency on far away food sources leaves a region vulnerable to supply disruptions, and removes any real accountability of producer to consumer. It also tends to promote larger, less diversified farms that hurt both the environment and local economies/communities. Regional food production systems, on the other hand, keep the food supply in the hands of many, providing interesting job and self-employment opportunities, and enabling people to influence how their food is grown.

12)Passing on the Stewardship Ethic.
When you buy locally produced organic food you cannot help but raise the consciousness of your friends and family about how food buying decisions can make a difference in your life and the life of your community; and about how this basic act is connected to planetary issues.

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Friday, June 29, 2007

Keep NAIS Out of he 2007 Farm Bill

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