[MR] Call Day to prevent NAIS's excessive control of people and livestock

[Laurie Clarkston]

If you have a business that is providing horses for hire (such as for an SCA event), this would be something the owner of said animals would already be keeping a log or tracking the whereabouts of his stock.  It is a business expense.  Feed, gas, labor, transportation, rental, etc... 
   
  I don't think this bill is intended to have a crippling effect on the industry by tracking the materials, from start to finish.  If anything, it might just stop the front page news stories about possible Mad Cow Disease, and the media beating it to death for 4 months until the true orgin of this animal is traced only to find out it isn't Mad Cow Disease.  If this tracking system can follow the paperwork back to the original owner, in a matter of hours or days, versus months, and tests are done sooner versus later to report the whether there is a problem or not, then everyone wins.  Having raw materials banned by other countries because of unknown health practices by one farmer means everyone loses, not just the small family farms.  
   
  Farmers are in the business to make a living, so tracking their livestock would be a part of their everyday farming practice.  They keep records on where they got the animal, what was the cost of how much to care and feed the animal, when the animal was sold, rented out, studded, etc...   
   
  I think it is more in the question of being able to get a hold of these records much sooner when tracing where these animals came from.   
   
  It might be worth checking with your local Cooperative Extension Office and asking for guidance on this.  They are first step on this reporting project and they might be able to shed a little more information concerning this.  Check with them to see just how much of an inpact this will effect their local (farming) community.  
   
  From the first post:
        WHAT YOU CAN DO

       Read the Draft Standards Plan and Draft Strategic Plan
       http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml
   
  Open this up and scroll down to you see the state flags.  Click on the arrow on the right side of the page and look at North Carolina and Virginia's plan.

  Cairistiona