Congress will be recessed from March 17 through March 28, and your Representative will be in the home district.  This is a perfect time to meet with him or her to talk about NAIS!  In-person meetings are very important.  They put a face to the issue and drive home how serious people are about stopping NAIS.
 
A lot of people have never met with their Congressman, but it's not hard.  Remember that THEY work for YOU.  So if you've never done this before, now is the perfect time to start!
 
1)  Find out who your Representative is at www.congress.org or by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
 
2) Call and ask to speak to the scheduler.  Tell the scheduler that you want to meet with the Representative during the spring recess to discuss food and agricultural policy, and particularly the National Animal Identification System.
 
3) It is very helpful to meet with the staff, even if the Representative's schedule is already full.  You will often get more time to explain the issue when you meet with the staff, and they advise the Representative on the issues.
 
4) Ask a couple of friends and neighbors if they will come with you.  You don't want a crowd - it's often better to keep the meeting small - but it helps to highlight that this is an issue that many people are worried about.  If more than one person wants to come to the meeting, be sure to mention that to the scheduler.
 
5) Make some notes to prepare for the meeting.  Think about the two or three most important points you want to make, and focus on those, rather than trying to cover everything.  There are some talking points at the end of this alert that can help.
 
6) Take a written summary to give to the Representative and staffer.  You can use the Background and Key Issues document on our Take Action page: http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/files/Key-issues-handout.pdf .
 
7) Ask them specifically for what you want them to do.  There are several things you can ask for:

    * Take Section 10305 out of the Farm Bill.  It implies approval of the USDA's program, which is the wrong message.
    * Stop funding for NAIS.  Federal funding is driving mandatory and coercive programs at the state level.
    * Call for Congressional hearings to investigate the program and ensure that the people who are opposed to NAIS are invited to participate.  We don't need hearings with just the Big Ag folks invited!
    * If your Representative is not on the committees for the Farm Bill, Agriculture, or Appropriations, ask him or her to speak to the committee members on your behalf.

8) Follow up with a thank you to the Representative and the staffer.
 
9) Send an email about the meeting to Judith@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org, including who you met with and the highlights of the discussion, especially any questions or concerns the Representative had.  I'll follow up with more information, and ask for a meeting in DC.
 
Don't forget to tell your community about NAIS by writing letters to the editor, putting flyers out at feed stores, etc.  You can download materials from our Take Action page.

Talking Points - Some Reasons NAIS Needs to Be Stopped

    * There is no evidence that NAIS will improve animal 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 will not increase food safety
          o Food contamination happens at the slaughterhouses and processing plants.  NAIS stops when the animal dies
          o NAIS would have done nothing to prevent the recent scandal in California or protect people from contaminated meat.
    * NAIS will hurt taxpayers, consumers, and our entire economy:
          o No agency has completed a cost-benefit analysis.
          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 Livestock business will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business, ultimately rippling through the entire rural economy
          o Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers
    * NAIS will not protect against terrorism and the technology is flawed
          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 the state agency 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's implementation of the program, through funding of state programs, has resulted in fraudulent and coercive methods being used to increase registrations.
    * On Section 10305 and the Farm Bill: Regardless of whatever regulations are adopted, having the government or private entities compile this information leaves us open to harassment or worse by people who hack into that database or use the information for purposes other than what is intended.

Working together, we can make our voices heard.
 
Sincerely,
 

Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
www.farmandranchfreedom.org
866-687-6452