Action Alert:

Testimony on NAIS being given at a hearing before the Tennessee House Agriculture Committee
 
WHEN: Tuesday, March 6, 2007, 9:15 am
 
WHERE: Room 29 of the Legislative Plaza (next to the Capitol).  You can get directions from Security.
 
WHAT: Mr. Jim Acres, head of the South Eastern Livestock Conservancy, will be testifying before the Committee about animal identification.  Mr. Acres is pro-NAIS.
 
ACTION: Please come to the hearing!  You'll increase your chances of being allowed to speak if you call the Committee staff at (615) 741-7001 on Friday or Monday, and ask for the opportunity.  Alternatively, bring written testimony to hand to the clerk.  If possible, bring 17 copies of your testimony (one for each committee member, and one for the record). Whether you speak or not, your presence at the hearing matters!
 
You should also contact your own Representative and Senator.  If you are not sure who your legislators are, go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/, click on "House", then "members", and then scroll down to the bottom of the page.  You can find your legislator based on what county you live in.
 
If you can't come to the hearing, please send a letter to the Committee at: House Committee on Agriculture, 23 Legislative Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37243, or call (615) 741-7001 to talk to the Committee staff.
 
You can get in-depth arguments against NAIS at www.farmandranchfreedom.org.  And, as always, if you have questions or concerns, you can reach us at info@farmandranchfreedom.org.

 Talking points for testimony or calls

 
* NAIS will hurt Tennessee's economy:
   o  There has been no analysis at federal or state level that establishes the costs or benefits of NAIS.
   o  Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
   o  Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
   o  Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
   o  Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods
 
* Neither the USDA nor the TDA has scientific proof that NAIS will improve disease control:
   o  It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
   o  It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
 
* NAIS is not necessary for the market.  Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program
 
*  NAIS will not improve food safety
   o  USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
   o  Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.
 
* NAIS will not protect against terrorism.
   o  The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
   o  The database of information, created by TDA and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers.
 
* NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.
 
*NAIS unfairly attacks the rights of pet owners and those who raise animals as food for their family.
 
* USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Tennessee to implement this program
 
* Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Tennessee will not be disadvantaged by refusing to participate.
 
* Please support bills to stop NAIS from being implemented in Tennessee.

Sample written testimony or letter

Personalize and put it into your own words for the greatest effect!!  The testimony has to come from you!!

Testimony to the Tennessee House Committee on Agriculture
March 6, 2007

Dear Committee Members:

I am a ____ (small farmer, consumer, taxpayer - tell them a sentence about yourself).  I am opposed to all three stages of NAIS -- premises registration, animal identification, and tracking -- because they impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits.  Neither the USDA nor the Tennessee Department of Agriculture has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control.  NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights.  NAIS will drive many small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business and discourage people from owning horses and other livestock as pets, resulting in far-reaching effects on our economy.  The only winners in this program are the microchip manufacturers, the associations that will manage the databases, and the government employees.

I urge you to support bills to stop NAIS from being implemented in Tennessee.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.