Arizona will not be required to participate in a federal animal identification and tracking system under legislation sent to Governor Napolitano on April 26.
In fact, the measure clarifies that the program, National Animal Identification System, is voluntary rather than required.
The bill, S1428, prohibits the Arizona Department of Agriculture or any other agency from forcing participation in NAIS.
The current version has been watered down as it underwent several changes in both chambers, according to Sen. Karen Johnson, R-18.
Johnson, a strong advocate for local control, has been at the forefront of efforts to rebuff federal mandates, including the controversial No Child Left Behind program.
“It got watered down a little bit but it still has a good message and still has some teeth in it,” Johnson said shortly after senators passed her measure on a 27-0 vote.
Legislation would create ‘a load of paperwork’
Johnson opposed NAIS because of concerns that it would create a load of paperwork for livestock owners as well as owners of just one or two pets.
“The paperwork alone is just ridiculous. It is just another method of control from the federal government,” she said.
NAIS, voluntary at the federal level, was created to help trace infected animals and thereby prevent potential disease outbreaks as soon as possible. Currently, 48 states participate in the program.
Last year, the Arizona Department of Agriculture focused on the identification and registration of premises where livestock or poultry are raised or boarded, such as farms, ranches, markets and slaughter houses. An estimated 15 percent of some 5,170 sites have been registered, according to the department.
Furthermore, fairs in Mohave, Yuma, and Camp Verde also require NAIS registration before an animal can be entered in the show.
The bill’s original version prohibited participation in NAIS in Arizona.
Amendments eliminated this prohibition provision but emphasized that the state cannot force its implementation.
“We were going to say there will be no participation throughout all of Arizona with any entity. But the Department of Agriculture, in their grand scheme of things, wants to participate in the federal program. And so they wanted to be allowed to participate,” she said, adding that the bill now gives them that choice.
Lawmaker: idea is ‘a nightmare’
Earlier, Johnson had called the idea “a nightmare.”
“The reason for the program is power and control and it’s the [computer] chip companies that are pushing it. Once they get all these animals chipped then it will be a lot easier to chip people,” she said.
NAIS endorses the use of a computer chip commonly referred to as RFID or radio frequency identification device by farmers.
The Department had opposed a complete ban of the program.
“It (bill) would hurt those livestock owners that want to participate in this program. Some retailers give cattle owners a bonus for having their cattle involved in this program,” Ed Hermes, Arizona Department of Agriculture’s legislative liaison had said in a phone interview shortly after the measure was first approved by the Senate, referring to an earlier version of the bill.
“The program’s main and only function is to make sure that if there is an outbreak we are able to trace it back, quarantine it and stop the disease in its tracks,” Hermes said.
Feds want to dispel myths about system
On its website, the US Department of Agriculture listed “myths” regarding NAIS. These include the idea that the USDA wants to identify every animal, including pets.
“The focus of NAIS is animal agriculture — livestock or poultry. Owners of the following species would benefit from and are encouraged to participate: cattle and bison; poultry; swine; sheep; goats; cervids (deer and elk); equines (horses, mules, donkeys, burros); and camelids (llamas and alpacas). Household pets (cats and dogs) are not included,” the Department said.
It is also a myth, its website said, that the USDA wants to identify and track the movement of all livestock.
“Attempting to record all animals and movements is not practical, and that is not the intent with NAIS. Rather, the intent with NAIS is to prevent disease spread. The only animals recommended for identification are those that are moved from their premises to locations where they ‘commingle,’ or come into contact with, animals from multiple or other premises,” it said.