Paul Fights Mandatory National Animal Identification System NAIS Threatens Independent Ranchers and Farmers

May 22, 2006 

Washington, DC: Congressman Ron Paul is fighting a new federal mandate that threatens to put thousands of small farmers and ranchers out of business.  The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an expensive and unnecessary federal program that requires owners of livestock-- cattle, dairy, poultry, and even horses-- to tag animals with electronic tracking devices.  The intrusive monitoring system amounts to nothing more than a tax on livestock owners, allowing the federal government access to detailed information about their private property.

Agribusiness giants support NAIS, because they want the federal government to create a livestock database and provide free industry data.  But small and independent livestock owners face a costly mandate if NAIS becomes law.

Paul introduced an amendment to the 2007 agriculture appropriations bill that prohibits any federal funding for implementing NAIS. Paul’s amendment likely will be voted on this Tuesday, May 23^rd. 

Under NAIS, small family farmers and ranchers will be forced to spend thousands of dollars tagging animals and complying with new paperwork and monitoring regulations.  These farmers and ranchers literally will be paying for an assault on their property and privacy rights, as NAIS empowers federal agents to enter and seize property without a warrant-- a blatant violation of the 4^th amendment. 

NAIS is not about preventing mad cow or other diseases.  States already have animal identification systems in place, and virtually all stockyards issue health certificates.  Since most contamination happens after animals have been sold, tracing them back to the farm or ranch that sold them won’t help find the sources of disease. 

More than anything, NAIS places our family farmers and ranchers at an economic disadvantage against agribusiness and overseas competition.  As dairy farmer and rancher Bob Parker stated, NAIS is “too intrusive, too costly, and will be devastating to small farmers and ranchers.”