Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
each animal. The premise number tag attached to each animal enables those interested
to track the animal's movements and trace it back to its point of origin.
At the onset, the law appeared to help promote food safety. It was originally intended
to identify holes in our food-supply safety net. With incidence of diseases that spread
from animals to humans on the rise — mad cow disease and scrapie, for example —
the premise-number NAIS law looked as if it might act as a biosecurity measure and
possibly even prevent bioterrorism. Perhaps for larger-scale operations it is an efficient,
progressive regulation. The problem exists when the measure is required of backyard
raisers.
I fully agree with careful inspection of all food products imported into this country to
ensure they are free of disease and pesticide residue from chemicals banned in the Un-
ited States. The law becomes a bit ridiculous, however, when it is applied to small-time
producers who sell at farmers' markets or to a few selected individuals. In my opinion,
the law was written and implemented by people who either had no idea how a small,
animal-raising venture operates, or who ignored our existence altogether.
As of August 9, 2011, new proposals are being considered to apply the rules only to
animals moving from one state to another. If these new considerations are adopted then
this will relax some of the regulations on the backyard raiser and small local producer.
Marketing Eggs under NAIS
The NAIS law is multifaceted and despite its impracticality and utter disregard for
raisers with limited time and money, it is slowly being forced upon people in some
states.
In addition, other licenses and permits are so restrictive and applying for them so
time-consuming, it is next to impossible for a smalltime raiser to sell eggs. Some of the
restrictions that apply include temperature requirements for eggs for sale and the barring
of sales at farmers' markets that do not have continuous refrigeration. In some cases, the
penalties for selling eggs for eating without the proper licenses and permits can be al-
most as severe as selling illegal drugs. It's unclear whether or not the laws intentionally
target backyard raisers, but some people believe large factory farms wanting to control
more of the food supply have heavily influenced lawmakers.
Identifying Birds: My Experience
W
HEN I CALLED
the state official in charge of implementing NAIS for information
about the regulation, after being solicited for my participation multiple times via mail
and telephone, I was shocked to learn that the person in charge of the program in this
