NEWSBYJUDITH MCGEARY

A policy posing one of the greatest threats to local and sustainable agriculture is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Under NAIS, anyone who owns even one livestock animal will have to register their property, tag each animal (in most cases with electronic tags), and report a long list of movements to a database within 24 hours. This issue is among the ideas being voted on for the Top 10 Ideas for Change in America:

Vote to stop NAIS here.

NAIS will drive local family and organic farms out of business and impose burdens on everyone from recreational horse owners to people in poverty who are trying to raise food for themselves. It will not stop animal disease or improve food safety. NAIS will only enrich the corporations that already control most of our food supply.