Vote Yes on HB 1305

Vote YES on HB 1305

1. Prohibits the State of South Dakota from participating in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)

· Through a “cooperative working agreement” signed by the State of South Dakota, the Animal Industry Board cost shares with USDA for 20% of the cost to implement NAIS. Once fully implemented, it becomes an unfunded federal mandate that the state must maintain. The 2007, NAIS business plan reveals, “The Compliant Premises Registration Systems are premises registration systems that are maintained entirely by the state including development and operational costs.” USDA has not done a study to determine the cost to any state for maintaining NAIS.

· HB 1305 preserves our State Veterinarian’s authority over livestock in our state. NAIS compliance restricts the scope of the SD Animal Industry Board’s powers by rolling our animal health programs into a federal program that is administered by USDA.

· HB 1305 protects the effective, producer friendly systems that already exist to track animals and has effectively eliminated known threats to South Dakota’s herd through vaccination programs, health certificates and brand inspection. NAIS is a reactive program, which does not protect animal health, but rather, would only trace animal disease outbreaks.

2. Prohibits NAIS from becoming mandatory in South Dakota.

· The Animal Industry Board’s agreement with USDA establishes benchmarks to achieve 100% participation of SD producers in NAIS by January 2009. 100% participation does not imply voluntary.

· HB 1305 will protect South Dakota Certified Beef and other private verification programs that receive premiums for source verification. Allowing a mandatory NAIS program will effectively destroy the niche market that allows these producers to receive premiums.

· HB 1305 does not prohibit individuals or private organizations from voluntarily registering with the USDA if they choose to. NAIS premises registration has been voluntarily available to South Dakota producers since 2002. Over 75% of producers have elected not to register their premises.

· HB 1305 protects the systems that producers rely on to keep our animals healthy. According to a study conducted by North Dakota State University in 2007, of 400 calves that were electronically marked according to NAIS standards at birth, more than 10% could not be traced from the packing house back to their birth place. A program with 90% success rate is not an acceptable replacement for the trusted systems that SD producers currently use.

· NAIS creates an unnecessary hardship for livestock producers who must register their premises and electronically tag each animal, report personal information to the USDA and maintain extensive records, all at their own cost. (Estimates range from $22 - $56 per head annually based on studies from Kansas State University and North Dakota State University)

3. HB 1305 specifically states, “Nothing in this Act prohibits the state from establishing or participating in disease control programs specifically designed to address a known disease in a specific species of livestock.”

“We are not opposed to identifying our livestock; we have been doing it for generations. The state and the livestock industry already have systems in place for tracking animals. We do not need another huge government bureaucracy dictating how we run our business. We are opposed to NAIS (which is a federal program) having authority over our state, its producers and their property.”

South Dakota Stockgrowers Association

Organizations Supporting House Bill 1305