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I am requesting that you co-sponsor companion legislation filed in the Senate by Senator Steve Brewer titled, "AN ACT RELATIVE TO SUSTAINABLE FARMING PROTECTION," and filed in the House by Representative Anne Gobi titled "HD 1324: AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING."
These bills would protect farmers and homesteaders in Massachusetts by ending the Commonwealth's participation in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which purports to track animals for disease management purposes. NAIS will be ineffective for protecting public health because it only tracks disease outbreaks after the fact and does nothing to assist producers with disease prevention through sustainable husbandry practices.
NAIS favors large scale confined animal feeding operations and imposes extra burdens and higher expenses on small pasture-based farms, where the animals are raised in the healthiest way. NAIS would harm Massachusetts' thriving local food economy through unnecessary regulation, only benefiting big agribusiness companies seeking to secure international markets.
No further tax-payer funds should be allocated to promoting or implementing NAIS. Similar bills are being filed in states all over the country. By supporting this important legislation, you will be protecting small agriculture and opening up the debate for real solutions to diseases of animal origin.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
Town, State Zip
Email (if you have one)
2. Your agricultural commission, your select board, your agricultural organization, or yourself as an individual can co-sponsor this bill. Send notice of co-sponsorship to Rep. Anne Gobi by Monday, 10am, January 22 <Rep.AnneGobi@...>. Telephone: 617-722-2575. Include in your subject: "Co-sponsorship of HD1324, An Act relative to the protection of sustainable farming."
For more information on taking action on NAIS, see:
http://www.nofamass.org/news/contact.php
Text of the Bill Filed by Senator Steve Brewer (a virtually identical Bill was filed by Representative Anne Gobi):
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AN ACT RELATIVE TO SUSTAINABLE FARMING PROTECTION
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled,And by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. (A) This Commonwealth has entered into agreements with the federal government of the United States, and otherwise may have participated in establishing a National Animal Identification System (hereinafter “NAIS”).
(B) Neither the United States Department of Agriculture nor the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (hereinafter “MDAR”) has demonstrated any scientific findings that the NAIS will prevent the spread of diseases of animal origin to humans or to other animals, or will benefit animal or public health.
(C) Sustainable animal husbandry practices, which include adequate space, appropriate feed, and access to pasture, fresh air and sunlight are important in promoting animal health and thus preventing the spread of diseases of animal origin.
(D) The establishment of NAIS is detrimental to small and sustainable animal husbandry farming operations.
SECTION 2. : Cooperative Agreement Termination
MDAR shall withdraw any pending application for USDA NAIS Cooperative Agreement funding for FY 2007; or, in the event that the USDA already has granted funding and a Cooperative Agreement for FY 2007 already has been executed, MDAR shall return any FY 2007 funding to the USDA and rescind any existing Cooperative Agreement for FY 2007.
SECTION 3. : Citizens Data Upload Termination
MDAR shall immediately cease sending data on the Commonwealth’s citizens and animal premises to the USDA National Premises Information Repository.
SECTION 4. : Notification and Data Removal
MDAR shall: (a) immediately notify all citizens whose premises information previously has been submitted to the USDA National Premises Information Repository without their specific authorization; and (b) develop a procedure with the USDA whereby such Massachusetts data will be expunged from the USDA National Premises Information Repository.
A Non-NAIS Related Invitation:
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An invitation: Join the Massachusetts Town-to-Town Campaign on Genetic Engineering
To Pass a Resolution Against Genetic Engineering in Your Town!
If
you are concerned about how Agribusiness and the USDA are trying to
push NAIS on small farmers, you may also be concerned about how some
of the same corporations (Monsanto and Cargill, for example) and
Federal Agencies like the USDA and FDA are pushing genetically
engineered seeds onto farmer's fields and onto people's dinner
plates.
NOFA/Mass works on a range of inter-related issues to
protect sustainable agriculture, and this year in addition to our
advocacy to stop NAIS, we are inviting you to
get involved with the Massachusetts Town-To-Town Campaign on Genetic
Engineering. In this campaign, we are helping people bring
resolutions to their next town meeting calling for mandatory labeling
of GE Foods, liability protection for farmers, and a moratorium on
growing GE crops. Last year, nine more Massachusetts towns
passed resolutions in favor of these changes, bringing the total
number of Massachusetts towns opposing genetic engineering to
twenty-one.
NOFA/Mass can assist by
providing resources for public education about the threats of genetic
engineering to food safety and local food security and by showing how
people can use local government to voice their concerns. By passing
resolutions against genetic engineering at your town meeting, you
will be educating your community, providing a model of grassroots
political engagement, and building political support to change policy
at the state and federal levels.
To get more information about
the campaign, its past successes, and its goals visit:
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/townmeeting.php
This message will be the one and only message about our work on
genetic
engineering. If you would like to receive regular updates about this
work, separate from NAIS updates, please respond to this e-mail with
the Subject:
Subscribe to NOFA/MASS Update on GMOs.
Respond also if you would like to get involved, and I will get you started.
Ben
Grosscup, Coordinator Massachusetts Town-to-Town Campaign on Genetic
Engineering
Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts
Chapter
22 High St #1
Amherst, MA
01002
413-658-5374
ben.grosscup@...
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Feel free to forward this message to people you know. To learn more,
NOFA/Mass has made
available information about NAIS and closely related issues on our
website:
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/nais_info.php
To unsubscribe from this low-traffic email update list, reply with
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
To join the [NOFA/Mass Update on NAIS] e-mail list, or to help organize
an informational meeting on NAIS, contact
NOFA/Mass NAIS response coordinator, <ben.grosscup@...>,
413 658-5374
Offline 
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