http://emergentchaos.com/archives/2009/07/rebellion-over-an-id-plan.html The Emergent Chaos Jazz Combo Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:02:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://emergentchaos.com/archives/2009/07/rebellion-over-an-id-plan.html/comment-page-1#comment-5913 Robert Stratton Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:58:05 +0000 http://emergentchaos.com/?p=3155#comment-5913 The National Animal ID System plan is appalling in how it has been promulgated. The U.S. Government is suggesting that anyone with a subject animal register their home as a "premise" regardless of the nature or use of the animal. The potential impact on horse owners is completely out of proportion to the prospective benefit. Imagine if you had to fill out a request form and ask the Government every time you wanted to take your bicycle to a bike race. That's essentially what they're expecting horse owners to do. There are already self-policed (and occasionally state-mandated) rules about current disease test results that must be presented to show officials whenever a horse is to participate in a show venue with other horses. The problem with the NAIS is that it seems to have been enacted (in the case of horses) for two reasons: 1- to make marketing easier for the handful (2-4) companies (none of whom are U.S. headquartered) breeding horses here for slaughter as human food. That amounts to fewer than 3% of the horses in the U.S. 2- to "help" USDA/DHS trace outbreaks of hypothetical animal-borne bioterrorism While both may in some way have a benefit, it's completely out of proportion to the costs, in terms of time, paperwork, privacy impacts and process friction on an industry that is avocational in large part. And that's just horses. The process by which the public was given (or not given) notice of the proposed rule seems to have been somewhat disingenuous as well. Disclaimer: My family owns a horse and I'm not looking forward to how this plays out. The National Animal ID System plan is appalling in how it has been promulgated. The U.S. Government is suggesting that anyone with a subject animal register their home as a “premise” regardless of the nature or use of the animal.
The potential impact on horse owners is completely out of proportion to the prospective benefit. Imagine if you had to fill out a request form and ask the Government every time you wanted to take your bicycle to a bike race. That’s essentially what they’re expecting horse owners to do. There are already self-policed (and occasionally state-mandated) rules about current disease test results that must be presented to show officials whenever a horse is to participate in a show venue with other horses.
The problem with the NAIS is that it seems to have been enacted (in the case of horses) for two reasons:
1- to make marketing easier for the handful (2-4) companies (none of whom are U.S. headquartered) breeding horses here for slaughter as human food. That amounts to fewer than 3% of the horses in the U.S.
2- to “help” USDA/DHS trace outbreaks of hypothetical animal-borne bioterrorism
While both may in some way have a benefit, it’s completely out of proportion to the costs, in terms of time, paperwork, privacy impacts and process friction on an industry that is avocational in large part.
And that’s just horses.
The process by which the public was given (or not given) notice of the proposed rule seems to have been somewhat disingenuous as well.
Disclaimer: My family owns a horse and I’m not looking forward to how this plays out.

]]>