Update on the Farm Bill: Call Your Senators!

HELPFUL HINTS FOR CONTACTING LEGISLATORS

If you are calling your Senators, and don’t have unlimited long-distance, here are some toll-free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard:
866-340-9281
800-417-7666
877-851-6437
866-220-0044

Remember to ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues. If he or she is not available, leave a detailed voice mail message, including the fact that you are a constituent and your phone number.

If you prefer to write a letter, it is best to FAX the letter to your Senator or Representative. Because of security measures, letters mailed to DC take weeks or months to get there. If you can’t fax, then either mail a letter to the local district office or use email. With email, we recommend that you follow up with a call, to make sure the email does not simply get overlooked. (Or just use the talking points above and call.)

Sample Letter:

Dear _________:

I oppose Section 10305 of the Farm Bill because it implies approval of the USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NAIS has never been approved or even debated by either branch of Congress and few members of the Senate or House know the details of the program. The USDA has not provided any scientific basis for this “feel good” program that will cost farmers and taxpayers billions of dollars, resulting in irreparable harm to independent agriculture in this country. Although USDA claims the program is voluntary, it has funded coercive and misleading methods used by both states and private entities to force people to participate.

I urge you to remove section 10305 from the Farm Bill and to stop funding for NAIS.

Sincerely,
Name
Address
City, State Zip

More Information on the NAIS in the Farm Bill

Section 10305 of the Farm Bill, as approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee, amends the Animal Health Protection Act to (1) insert a definition of NAIS; and (2) provide various exceptions from public disclosure for information collected under NAIS. The inclusion of Section 10305 represents a tacit approval of NAIS, which is a very serious problem for the grassroots opposition to NAIS. But it is not a complete adoption of NAIS, nor does it mandate NAIS directly. Section 10305 represents a battle in this war against NAIS, but it is not a decisive battle for either side. It’s critical that we keep working to educate all the Senators and Representatives about NAIS, and why it is the wrong thing for

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