|
<Back | Home | Basics | Departments | Get Involved | Site Map | What's New 
Action Alert from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance:Contact Congress and tell the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to keep the National Animal ID System (NAIS) out of the Farm Bill and preserve local control of our foods. DRAFT FARM BILL PROVISIONS: The House Committee on Agriculture is working
on a draft version of the Farm Bill that includes two sections that
pose a threat to our food supply. Section 121 of the draft would allow
the USDA to use a mandatory animal identification system in order to
implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). This would open the door
for the USDA to link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to Section 123 of the draft would bar states or localities from prohibiting
any food or agricultural product that USDA has deregulated. This provision
would deny local or state and state rights to regulate such things as
genetically engineered crops or food. You can read the proposed provisions
at The House Committee needs to hear from you NOW! Below is the contact information for the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee. Call or write them, using the talking points and a sample letter that are at the end of this alert. And if one or more of the members of the Committee are from your state, send them a copy of your letter as well. We also need to educate the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the rest of Congress, to provide protection against whatever the House Committee may pass. Contact information for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and your Congressman and Senator, are also listed below. TAKE ACTION: Talking points and a sample letter are at the end of this
alert. 1) The Honorable Collin C. Peterson 2) The Honorable Bob Goodlatte 3) Any member of the House Committee on Agriculture who comes from your state. All of the members are listed below, and it's important that the members hear from the people within their state. The members are listed in order of their states (starting with Alabama and ending with Wisconsin). 4) Senator Harkin 5) Your Congressman and Senator:
As always, if you have any questions, you can contact us at or call 866-687-6452.
* Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill. I oppose both the National Animal ID System (NAIS) and pre-emption of state and local control of our food supply. * Section 121 Issues/ National Animal ID System: The law barring the
USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement Country
of Origin Labeling (COOL) should not be changed. COOL can be implemented
simply by requiring that all imports of live animals or food be identified
with a country of origin marking. Requiring U.S. cattle producers to
individually identify and track all domestic livestock is * Section 123 Issues/ Federal Pre-emption: Section 123 section would
pre-empt the rights of state and local governments to regulate food
or agricultural products that USDA has granted "non-regulated"
status. This deprives citizens of their rights to enact laws to protect
health and public safety at the local level. Local and state governments
need to retain their authority to regulate food and agricultural
If you use email, be sure to put a clear subject line, such as "Keep NAIS and Pre-emption language out of the Draft Farm Bill" Dear Chairman Peterson and Members of the Committee: I ask that you strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill. Section 121 would allow the USDA to use mandatory animal identification to implement Country of Origin Labeling, while Section 123 would pre-empt state and local laws regulating food and agricultural products. I strongly oppose both provisions. I am a _______ (farmer, consumer, .... Tell them a few sentences about yourself and why you care about this issue) The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification
to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) should not be changed,
and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) should not be added
to the Farm Bill. COOL can be implemented by requiring all imported
livestock to be identified with a country of origin marking, which is
already a requirement for cattle imported from Mexico or Using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL will impose heavy burdens on American farmers and ranchers, in both time and money. NAIS will drive independent ranches and farms in America out of business. The purpose of COOL is to provide information so that consumers can choose whether to buy domestic or foreign products and, as a hoped-for result, providing American farmers and ranchers with economic rewards for raising food in this country. Mandatory animal identification will harm all Americans' rights and our economy, canceling out the benefits of COOL. In addition, state and local government regulation of our food supply should not be preempted by the USDA. Citizens across the country have sought local and state regulations to address critical concerns, including the use of genetically engineered foods and crops. Section 123 is a back-door means of wiping out state and local food safety laws. This provision has no place in the Farm Bill. Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill, keep NAIS out of the Farm Bill, and protect local control of our food supply. Sincerely, Name Cc: Congressman Goodlatte
Name (State), Phone number, Fax number Members are listed in order of their states (alphabetically). Please
contact any
<Back | Home | Tour | Calendar | Contact Us | Funding | Join Now |
||||