Your comments needed today!
Having dropped the plans for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), USDA is back again for Round Two. The agency has proposed a rule that would require livestock producers, related businesses, and state livestock agencies to incur significant expense tracking animals that cross state lines--with few tangible benefits to farmers or their American customers.
Though less sweeping than the NAIS, the proposed animal traceability rule is still burdensome and a solution in search of a problem.
The USDA has again failed to identify the specific problem or disease of concern, and the real focus of the program is helping the export market--benefiting a handful of large agribusinesses, the costs and burdens will fall on individual farmers and ranchers, vets, sale barns and weigh stations, and already financially strapped states.
These new regulations will harm rural businesses while wasting taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on the real problems we face in controlling animal disease, food security, and food safety.
At a time when farmers and ranchers are facing significant economic problems, the last thing we need is additional burdensome rules hindering the economic viability of the small businesses of the nation.
TAKE ACTION
Please submit comments to USDA today! You can submit comments either online or by mail.
ONLINE:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=APHIS-2009-0091-0001
BY MAIL:
Docket No.APHIS--2009--0091
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A--03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737--1238
The deadline for comments is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011.
(Talking points and a sample letter can be found below.)
Please also send a copy of your comments to your Congressman and Senators. If you don't know who represents you, you can find out at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov
Here are talking points you can use for your comments. A sample letter, which you can customize is at the end of this alert.
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