NAIS Good news, if it's true...

[Patrick]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05livestock.html

Now the only thing we have to worry about will be the details of this "new" system that they'll be working on.

[Mary]

Has anyone heard what they came up with in place of this? State by state is definitely preferable to national. The best would be to mind their own business and leave everyone alone. Of course that won't happen because they can't control where people are free.

[goosedragon]

What I find disturbing is the fact that was not mentioned, there has not been an outbreak since 2003 WITHOUT a system yet they still insist that they need a new system. Typical power grab thinking, control freaks need to believe they control anything if they can or not. Frankly I would rather they be worrying how to do a task rather than building a system that they think will work with nothing but theory to validate their system and then going on to a different problem to try to control. ~gd

[Angela]

GD,
I firmly believe that it's all about blame and money. They just want to know where to send the bill.

[goosedragon]

GD,
I firmly believe that it's all about blame and money. They just want to know where to send the bill.I won't argue with that but if there is a big outbreak no one other than cutomers will be able to pay that bill and the people we are talking about are experts at ducking blame!~gd

[Angela]

Boy, ain't that the truth!

[iamabdus]

I also believe that.

[Oregon Swedes]

More federal money wasted.

The best way to get a tracking system that works and can track the origins of a cow with Mad Cow Disease is to go to the Cattlemen's associations and suggest that they come up with their own system before the government does it for them.

Everyone knows that the federal government always way over-does it and comes up with a lot of regulations that don't make any sense but do make life harder for everyone. I suspect that if the ranchers have their choice of doing it themselves or letting Uncle Sam write the rules, they will figure out how to do it themselves.

The old hot iron brand system worked, but that probably offends PETA.

[Patrick]

Um, most of the purebred cattlemen's associations DID back NAIS, because most of them are commercial producers as well. The plan that they came up with WAS NAIS. Some of the smaller associations, like the rare breed clubs did not support it, but they are mostly small time schmucks like us anyway, so had little clout.

[katschicks]

While at the Quarter Horse World Show we saw a neat new process for identification. They were scanning the iris of the eye. Then the information on that horse was added and it was put in the computer. If incorrect information was put in that could happen but the iris scan could not be compromised. It was that horse. They were saying that it was going to be alot cheaper than chips and more accurate. Something new to keep up with. Sounded like the new thing and had alot of pluses. It is being used in the most secure places by the goverment and has been for awhile. Rog

[Angela]

Ok, but what will be the cost to the end user?
What equipment needed? What type of recording? Polly wanna quacker? This all sounds so familiar......

I suspect, that the burden of cost will land on the keepers, and not the governmental agencies. Hell, they can't even my name and social security number straight....how they gonna track all these animals? I'm dubious.......

[Mary]

Yep, and they can't even spell my name right with me spelling it for them. My late husband said "the government hires the unemployable." Don't mean to offend anyone but living in a "third world nation" state of these United States the saying fits to a T. It has been my observation that all the big groups (example AARP) and lobbyist for groups and associations tend to be very liberal and want the government to control everything where most of us out here in the trenches just want the government to leave us to heck alone. I'm guessing most of us are old enough to have observed that where big brother gets involved it becomes so complicated (example IRS) that no one can learn it all and they contradict each other on many things. If we could some how take the responsibility for developing the plan and kill it in committee that would be the way to go. My late husband and the news paper editor and I were appointed as a committee to rewrite the "beautification ordinance" the city manager was trying to get passed. The city already had three separate ordinances that covered everything in this new ordinance. We killed it in committee and the city manager went on to other things so no push for the ordinance which would have had teeth to take away peoples homes if they didn't keep the weeks cut or had a "junk" car in the drive. The teeth was the reason we got involved. The same city manager tried to pass a cat leach law. LOL, the commission room was packed and many people standing in the hall all over a cat leach law. Only about 20 of us on the beautification ordinance in attendance. Some times people get up in arms over the wrong things.

[maber]

Let's hope for the best :)