Hello and welcome to the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance e-news alert.  We know you want to stay informed about what is happening with the National Animal Identification System and how you can make a difference.  Feel free to forward this email to your friends and acquaintances. 

In this alert:
Membership Drive
Model State Statute Available
American Horse Council Meeting
Upcoming Public Meetings and Events

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

If you are not yet a member of FARFA, please consider joining us!

Becoming a member of FARFA helps the fight against the NAIS.  Your membership fees help fund FARFA's work - but even more importantly, more members means the government pays more attention to what we have to say.

FARFA was invited to testify at a recent hearing in front of the Texas Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture.  One of the first questions the Senator asked me was: "How many members do you have?"  In other words, he wanted to know why he and other senators should listen to us.  We have the truth and facts on our side.  But we need members to convince the legislators that they should listen to those facts!

And, of course, we need money to continue our education and lobbying efforts. We recently were given a $5,000 matching donation. Please help us to raise another $5,000!

In the past six months, we have:
* researched and developed informational materials: flyers, sample letters, brochures, the popular "Top 10 Myths", and more in-depth pieces
* distributed approximately 30,000 pages of those materials to the public
* worked directly with legislators to develop bills for both state legislatures and Congress
* hired a lobbyist to help with the fight in Congress
* filmed an ad for RFD TV that will air with the Equine Expo this fall
* had booths at fairs and events in Texas, Tennessee, and Colorado to spread the word
* provided advice and materials to people in over a dozen states to educate the public, organize meetings, pass county-level resolutions, and lobby state legislators
* hosted public meetings in Texas and Tennessee, some of which have drawn over 200 people and received both newspaper and television coverage
* written articles for multiple publications to reach those who do not have internet access

Help us to continue and expand these efforts!  With this new money, we could also start paying for ads in those agricultural journals that are only printing stories from Agri-Business and the Government.  We have to reach the thousands of people who are only hearing one side of the issue!  What will it cost you if the NAIS is implemented?

We are gaining momentum in this fight, but we have a long way to go.  Please help us to continue this important work by joining today.  Visit our membership page at http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/signup.html

MODEL STATUTE AVAILABLE

Together with other activists, we have developed a model state statute.  Comments and suggestions on how to improve it are welcome.

You can download a copy of the model state statute on the Citizens Action page of our website, at http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/docs/StateNAISsunsetstatutev10.pdf.  Give a copy to your legislators, and talk with them about each point made in the statute and why we need these protections.  If you have any questions, email or call the FARFA office.

AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL MEETING

The American Horse Council (AHC) held an Issues Forum in Austin, Texas to discuss current issues facing the horse industry, including the NAIS.  Perhaps because of the $100 entrance fee, there were only about 35 people in attendance.  The AHC announced that the Equine Species Working Group has new co-chairs, drawn from its existing members: Dr. Billy Smith (American Quarter Horse Association), Charles Hulsey (Tennesee Walking Horse Breeders & Exhibitors’ Association), and Jim Morehead (American Association of Equine Practitioners).

The NAIS panel opened with a statement from James Hickey, President of the AHC.  Among his comments, he set out his vision for what life will be like in 2025: all horses will be microchipped, and people going to trail rides and shows will drive through a reader that will report their movements. 

Despite that opening statement, the panel speakers tried to convey a very reassuring message:  “Don’t worry, it’s only voluntary right now, there are no regulations, and the Equine Species Working Group has recommended against reporting movements.”  Anyone who has read the government and industry documents on the NAIS will recognize that these are meaningless reassurances.  And even the AHC speakers made statements revealing that this is not really the whole story.  Neil Hammerschmidt, the USDA official in charge of implementing the NAIS, re-iterated their goal to have 100% of premises registered and 100% of new animals identified by January 2009.  Dr. Hillman, the Texas State Veterinarian who sits on the Secretary’s Advisory Committee for the NAIS, presented the following ultimate goal: Premises will be registered, horses will be identified with internationally-unique 15 digit numbers, and if the horse is “hauled to a competition in Oklahoma” or the “owners decides to sell the horse,” those will be reportable events.  That doesn’t sound like a voluntary program with no reporting!

A full article about the meeting will appear in the next issue of the Horse Gazette, and will then be posted on our website.

UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FARFA is hosting multiple meetings in Texas and Louisiana in the next month to educate people about the NAIS and provide a forum for candidates to state their position before the election.  Below are dates and cities.  Check our website for more information.

Conroe, Texas, on Thursday, October 5th
Paris, Texas, on Tuesday, October 10th
Wallis, Texas, on Tuesday, October 17th
Bandera, Texas, on Thursday, October 19th
Vinton, Louisiana, on Wednesday, November 1
De Ridder, Louisiana, on Thursday, November 2

We will also have booths or speakers at the following events:
Oklahoma: Public meeting in Chickasha, on October 16th
South Carolina: Carolina Farming Conference in Spartanburg, on October 28th

If you want to organize a meeting for your area, please email info@farmandranchfreedom.org or call 1-866-687-6452. 

Thank you for everything you are doing to help in the fight against the National Animal Identification System! 

Working together, we can make our voices heard.

Judith McGeary
Executive Director
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
8308 Sassman Rd
Austin, Texas 78747
(512) 243-9404
(866) 687-6452 Toll Free
www.farmandranchfreedom.org