PRESS RELEASENovember 30, 2007
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Patricia Stewart
978-827-1305, [email protected]Judith McGeary
866-687-6452, [email protected]

Massachusetts Animal Owners Call For Halt to Involuntary Registration In Federal Database

Ashburnham, MA - Nov. 30, 2007 - A coalition of animal owners is calling for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to stop registering animal owners and their property in a federal database without their permission.  While the Massachusetts Legislature is considering two bills - SB 475 and H757 - to address problems associated with the USDA's National Animal Identification  (NAIS), MDAR is aggressively pushing this program.  MDAR is ignoring the evidence of the harm NAIS will do to the many small farmers, horse owners, and pet owners of Massachusetts. 
 
The National Animal Identification System is an industry-government plan to identify and track every livestock animal in the country.  It targets anyone who owns even just one pony, horse, cow, chicken, pig, goat, sheep, llama, or other livestock type animal, whether kept for food or as a pet.  While big agri-businesses and technology companies support the program, individuals and organizations across the country have opposed it.  The objections range from invasion of privacy and property rights to the unknown, but probably high, expenses of the program and the resulting destruction of small farms.  
 
The Massachusetts Small Holders Alliance and the Liberty Ark Coalition are asking the new MDAR Commissioner, Douglas Peterson, to immediately halt the automatic enrollment of individuals in NAIS, and to hold public hearings on the issue so that Massachusetts animal owners can be heard.  In an action initiated by Peterson's predecessor just before he left office, MDAR sent an unregistered letter to the last known owner of the property, saying that the property would be enrolled in the federal system unless the addressees wrote back and specifically "opted out" of the program. The Coalition points out that MDAR does not know if the current owner of the property even got the "opt out notice," much less than if they want to be registered.  They also point out that USDA says this is a "voluntary" program at the federal level, which is directly opposite of the approach being taken by MDAR.
 
Pat Stewart, the founder of the Massachusetts Small Holders Alliance, contends that "NAIS is a recipe for the consolidation of the food supply in the hands of a few large entities, and the loss of local agriculture, homesteaders, pet owners, and ultimately our rural communities. MDAR should not be pushing this program while the Massachusetts Legislature is working to relieve us of this unnecessary burden." 

The Liberty Ark Coalition represents over 100 organizations and 1,700 individuals who are opposed to the National Animal Identification System.  To learn more about NAIS, and what it means for farmers and consumers, visit www.smallholdersalliance.com or www.libertyark.net.
 
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