2007 Farm Bill Gripe

Guess what? The 2007 Farm Bill passed the House of Representatives last week. I haven't been following the legislation that closely, because I simply don't have the time to study the subject in-depth right now. I am a little ticked off, however, because [unless it was shot down and I didn't hear about it] the part of the bill covering Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) contains a provision that could pave the way for a mandatory livestock identification program on the federal level.

About a year ago, farmers all over the country were in an uproar over a USDA program called the National Animal ID System (NAIS). In short, NAIS was designed to help prevent the spread of diseases like avian influenza, "Mad Cow" disease (BSE), and scrapie. People in ag industries would be required to register any location where livestock are congregated (farms, slaughterhouses, livestock auction barns, etc.) and eventually tag individual animals or groups of animals, if the livestock are raised and shipped together. The animals' movements are reported to a federal database, helping investigators track down the source of any disease outbreaks.

At least that's the theory.

Many farmers object to the National Animal ID System because they feel that the program is too expensive, it invades their privacy, or it is impossible for an already overworked federal agency to implement. They feel that private industry could track animal movements much more efficiently. (You can read about the hubbub for yourself at websites and blogs like NoNAIS.org.) The USDA experienced such a backlash that they were forced to take a step back. While some states, like Wisconsin, have already mandated the program, the federal agency is still offering the NAIS as a voluntary system.

So what does a federal animal tracking program have to do with Country of Origin Labeling for ag products? (Keep in mind that COOL goes into effect in 2008 unless something happens.) I received an email forwarded from the Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association the other day warning their mailing list about a new provision in the 2007 Farm Bill. According to VICFA, the Farm Bill did contain a law that prohibited the Secretary of Agriculture from using a mandatory animal ID program to verify Country of Origin Labeling for food products. Unfortunately, the new provision (see Title 1, Subtitle B, Section 121 of the Farm Bill) repeals the existing law. VICFA thinks that it will be used as leverage to get the National Animal ID System off the ground. You can check it out by clicking on the link provided above.

Anyway, the 2007 Farm Bill passed the US House of Representatives last week. It will be interesting to see what happens. Are we seeing the bill that will eventually lead to animal tracking for everyone?