Required RFID chips in all animals in U.S.

But Handy, I don't have a herd. I have two cows (heifers), three pigs, ten chickens and a rooster. I raise them for my own consumption. No one else's. This program will require that I, my wife and any kids we have who help, to all be registered. Our property will have to be registered. Each and every animal I raise will have to be registered and chipped. If I butcher one of my animals, I will have to report it, and send in the tag. If I allow some of my eggs to hatch, I will have to register those chicks and chip them. Hope the wife don't want to keep any horses! 'Cause all of them come under the same rules and regulations.

Now add to this that I may be inspected for compliance at any time, to ensure that all my animals are properly chipped and registered. I will be fined if any are not. Have I mentioned the record keeping that will be required?

All of this will cost me. How much this will cost me has yet to be determined.

Farmer Bill, 2 miles down the road, owns and operates a CAFO. While every head will have a chip, he will only pay for 1 registration number (for his 5000 head) and 1 registered owner (regardless of how many workers he has) on 1 registered piece of property.

Farmer George, on the other hand, supplies a niche market with his herd of 100 organically raised beef. He will fall under the same regulations that I do, as he won't be considered a "Producer" like Farmer Bill. If George uses more than one plot of land to graze his beef on, each plot will have to be registered.

How long will he be in business? How long do you think it will take to get rid of all us simple country folk who raise our own food?

Contrary to what you think, these rules and regulations are being designed with only the "Producer" in mind. Heck, the major players are the ones "helping" the USDA to write the rules! It's a safe bet that the fees for this stuff will be high enough to force out the individual and the small operator, yet low enough to be absorbed into a large herd.
 
+ 1 Antipitas

Handy:

I need to make this point regarding the stated goal of the Texas HB 1361 which enables the Federal NAIS program, and my supposed over-reactions.

This bill, and the NAIS it enables, does not perform a single thing for controlling infections than the current livestock agribusiness system already has in place. I don't feel I am overstating the implications, and ask you to consider all of the following:

The supposed purpose is to track a diseased animal and halt a virus such as avian flu or mad cow disease.

Already, when livestock is sold, the seller's name and address and all contact information is taken, and the animals are marked at the sale barn by the personnel receiving them. They are currently tracked in that manner.

So even if goats are chipped, and the same information recorded thereon, once sent to a slaughter house after the purchase no matter where from, the individual packaged product received by the consumer, will not contain this chip.

That chip will be back at the slaughterhouse floor with the hide. The tracking of where the animal originated, would still come from the current system in use. In other words, that chip does absolutely ZERO for adding any further health benefits for public consumption of meat consumed by Americans. ZERO.

It will however, cause bureaucratic nightmares for people like Antipitas that do not sell at a market, and set another precedent on private property rights and the Constitutional right to privacy for landowners such as Antipitas who are not Ag Operators other than for private consumption.

On fowl, once a chicken sold for slaughter is quartered or halved, and purchased from your grocery store, where is this miricle chip? Back at the slaughterhouse, and the same old system that has worked for the last thirty or forty years is what will allow for tracing the end product. But that chip is not going to be in the fried chicken leg you take home from the fast food restaruant, or in the quarters you put on your barbeque pit or fry at home.

(And how a RFID chip implanted in a chicken in Antipitas's barn is going to stop a Canada Goose or Snow Goose from migrating from Alaska to the Texas Gulf Coast carrying the flu is beyond my capability to understand.)

So as to me over-reacting about this, I do understand why you would say that at first. But the program does nothing to actually contribute to nor better the system for public health that anyone can point out not already covered.

Here is my main opposition. Although offering nothing, It does allows further authority and access to private property to the same exact Government Representatives that did such a bang up job "rescuing" victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

That is specifically set out in Texas HB 1361, (e) (4). (The same Government Representatives whose director has no problem allowing a company from Saudi Arabia to take over the control of security operations in our nation's Ports)

If anyone can explain why Antipitas eating his own pen raised chickens is a bigger threat than letting Saudi Arabia control who, and how access and entry to our ports is made, I will agree to being one of the folks who are over-reacting. Until then, I think the Government's priorities are in great, great need of being realigned.

(Note to Antipitas, can't you just hear it coming? "Sir, set down your chicken and step away from the bird. Walk backward toward the sound of my voice" !:)
 
Notice of full disclosure.

In my example above, I used myself as the example in order to make it personal. In order to explain what the regulations now state. This was to show where the NAIS will lead.

I do not myself raise cattle, pigs or chickens. I used to do this when I lived in the county. I now live in city limits where such is prohibited.

None of this however, negates the reality that awaits for the individual or the small operator if this program gets steam and actually goes national.

As Glenn so eloquently states, this program will do nothing to promote a better system than we already have. What it does do is to further remove the food supply into the hands of the few. You think you pay too much for your food now? Wait until the small producer is removed from the market and it belongs solely to the monied interests.
 
Update to Texans regarding HB 1361/Microchips

Well, even though the Texas Animal Health Commission initially told Texans at the last hearing they would hold off until May in order to allow our political heros to hear from their constituents regarding this lunacy, they have now decided to instead move the date to up to March 23, 2006 at a meeting to be held in Round Rock Texas. Years ago, we called it lying when someone promised to do one thing, and then turned around and did the exact opposite. (Now it is more often announced as "after determining upon further reflection...")

The exact time and location if anyone in Central Texas wishes to go and voice their opposition to this moronic idea is:

8 a.m. Thursday, March 23
in Round Rock (just north of Austin) and is open to the public.
Marriott North Hotel at 2600 La Frontera Blvd. in Round Rock
(A map to the site will be available on the TAHC web site at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us.)

Apparantly the Feds put the squeeze on them to totally disregard well documented public opinion against this program, since now all of a sudden, the Commission is in a big hurry to move it up by two full months, despite their public promise.

They made the mistake on the previous hearing of giving people a reasonably accessable location for this meeting with plenty of notice, and over 600 people showed, with 80 having time to speak in opposition, and ZERO speaking in support of it. That is why they said they were backing off of setting a date for implementation, with two members of the commission agreeing this idea was a bad dea.


Now, they have chosen Round Rock in an apparant effort to make it much more difficult to attend (due to horrendous traffic problems) trying to go north on I 35 just past the Austin City Limits on the North side at the peak of Rush Hour Traffic. It is obvious they are wanting to try to deter people from showing up.

Anyone wanting further information, or who would consider helping us by signing the petition for repealing this law (HB 1361and also the Federal NAIS program, can go to: www.tofga.org

I would list the Web Site for the Legislation itself, but interestingly enough, on the Texas State site for legislation passed in the 79th Legislature (back in September of 2005) it is not yet available.

(In my opinion, claiming you are seeking comments on legislation (the very same legislation you are not willing to post on your own web site) but not making the information readily accessable, is at best disingenuous, especially if when receiving 100% Negative comments, you attempt to move forward with it anyway) And if you live in Texas, your State Legislator and your State Senator voted FOR this unanimously.
 
Hi.

I'm new here.

And I'm really really scared that on a forum where I would expect to find a bunch of freedom loving people I see more support for government intrusion than anywhere else.

"It will enforce the law" "The government already knows" "What do you have to hide"

When was this America?

Those of you who study history will remember that one of the precursors to the American Revolution was the stamp tax, requiring all possessions to be stamped by the British.

There are already places that require these tags in pets like cats and dogs.

There has already been legislation introduced to put these tags in guns.

American law is about precedent and laws like this set a precedent that we ought not to have.

How long before the argument, "we register cars and animals but not guns?"

I guess when the Nazis tattoed concentration camp prisoners it was just to help keep track of them and "enforce the law."

:barf: :barf: :barf:

The government has no say over what is done with MY legal private property. For them to say otherwise invalidates their power as a lawfully elected government.
 
Republicrat:
Welcome. Your input is appreciated. Especially since, using the same logic of "they already know, etc." that you point out, I could argue that in the interest of "the greater good" we could save money, because I should not have to pay tax money for the police to have to try and look for children that get lost or kidnapped, so the best thing is to require that all children be fitted at birth with a micro-chip.

And, to enforce it, make the parents a criminal by declaring it a Class C misdemeanor not to register your child via microchip..

It is a BAD, BAD thing, and it gives not a single solitary benefit to public health. The only purpose is to get everyone used to more takings of our right to privacy.

And the microchip proponents will not stop at your animals. They will demand your children be chipped. And then naturally they would need to register you via microchip, because, after all, "they already know who you are".
 
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