ALERT: Remove NAIS from the Farm Bill NOW

[Guest guest]

***REMOVE

NAIS FROM THE FARM BILL***

CALL AND FAX YOUR TWO SENATORS NOW!

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (R-IA) has inserted in

the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) a “FOIA Exemption” for the National

Animal Identification (NAIS) database that will pave the way for mandatory

NAIS. The ONLY reason for a FOIA exemption for NAIS is if the information

is owned by the federal government. If NAIS were a voluntary, industry

run system, the data would be in private hands and FOIA would be

irrelevant. By creating the FOIA exemption, the Senate Ag Committee

Chairman makes undeniably clear his intent for NAIS to be a massive government

program.

Why is this FOIA exemption dangerous? Aside from the fact that

FOIA is to insure transparent government, one of the reasons farmers resist

signing up for NAIS is because their private data would become public.

The FOIA exemption would appear to protect their

data. The “exemption” will not stand up in court, but in the

meantime many farmers would be seduced into thinking their information is

protected from public access and will sign up, thus increasing the numbers of

registered premises and justifying more NAIS efforts.

ACTION: CALL AND FAX YOUR SENATORS NOW!

Tell them to go to Senator Harkin on your behalf!

Locate your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/

Call your Senators and

ask to speak to their Agriculture

Aide about the Farm Bill (HR 2419). Tell the Aide to REMOVE Section 10305, the FOIA exemption for

NAIS, from the Farm Bill (Sec.

10305, Protection of Information in the Animal Identification

System). Tell the Aide to request that your Senator speak

to Senate Ag Committee Chairman Harkin on your behalf.

SEND A FAX FOLLOW UP.

Speak your heart.

Check http://www.NICFA.org and

http://www.VICFA.net regularly for updates.

For more information and details of how this is also an attempt to

destroy transparent government, see Zanoni’s statement at http://www.NICFA.org,

Many thanks,

Deborah Stockton, Editor

VICFA Voice

editor@...

Virginia Senators’ contact

info:

Webb Phone

Fax

Email form: http://webb.senate.gov/contact/

Warner

Phone Fax

Email form: http://warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm