Synthstuff - music, photography and more...

National Animal Identification System

back40 at Muck and Mystery has a good roundup of information on the proposed NAIS legislation and why it represents a direct violation of several Constitutional Amendments. I had written about it here before: NAIS - your government at work and about Jen and I driving down to our state Capitol to meet with our Representative: Light posting again today Here are two sites to further acquaint yourself with this legislative train-wreck:

NoNAIS.org

Stop Animal ID.org

Anyway, back to Gary at Muck and Mystery:

NAIS
That's the USDA proposed National Animal Identification System. Use a chicken, go to jail.

Indeed, the only general systems of permanent registration of personal property in the United States are systems administered by the individual states for two items that are highly dangerous if misused: motor vehicles and guns. It is difficult to imagine any acceptable basis for the Department to subject the owner of a chicken to more intrusive surveillance than the owner of a gun.

For example, whereas the owner of a long gun generally can take the gun and go hunting beyond the confines of his or her own property without notifying the government, the Department proposes that the chicken owner, under pain of unspecified "enforcement," must report within 24 hours any instance of a chicken leaving or returning to the registered property. (Standards, pp. 13, 18-19, 21; Plan, p. 17.)

Even more important than the trammeling of basic property rights under the program is the insult to fundamental human rights, which must remain free from government interference.

* See; Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 565 (2003).
* These fundamental human rights include decisions about nutrition and bodily integrity.
* See also; Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990);
* See also; Rochin v. California, 342 U.S. 165 (1952).

Gary quotes a bit more from the article (which suggests an excellent alternative) and then closes with this:

The needs of small holders have been consistently disregarded for quite a long time. There is merit to the above argument that the severity of current threats in hugely increased by the resultant system of mass production and consumption. We have an interesting conflict here since the needs of big ag and global traders are great, they are seriously threatened and have already suffered set backs, but the proposed solutions will further erode the distributed small holder network that many are coming to see is a solution to not only this problem but a host of other food related failures.

Absolutely -- if they shut us down, what will they do a few years from now when it is shown that a decentralized food chain is actually the safer way to go. Jen just got done with our seed order for this year -- over $400 but it will feed us from Spring through Fall as well as give us enough to sell at the local farmers market. We have 25 chickens brooding in the downstairs bathroom (in the tub for another week or two). The pantry is well stocked. We do not have food problems... Posted by DaveH at March 1, 2006 9:34 PM