ACTION ALERT: Take Action Now on Mandatory Animal Identification (RFID)

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Subject: ACTION ALERT: Take Action Now on Mandatory Animal Identification (RFID)

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ACTION ALERT: Act Now on
RFID Electronic Ear Tags;
USDA May Implement Soon!

Dear Friend,

We have written before on the potential that the USDA -proposed MANDATORY animal identification (or RFID) rule may soon become effective. Since Congress is working on the Farm Bill, there IS STILL A CHANCE to try and STOP this rule that hurts smaller, independent operations.

If Congress does NOTHING, then the new USDA rule, mandating electronic ear tags for cattle, WILL GO INTO EFFECT later this year, burdening small farmers and further undermining our nation's inadequate infrastructure of local sale barns nd veterinarians willing to work with smaller producers.

Mandatory electronic animal identification DOES NOT address food safety or animal disease concerns, but instead, unreasonably burdens farmers and ranchers. We have fought this BIG MEATPACKER-DRIVEN program since 2006 because of the loss of privacy, cost inefficiency, and burdens on small-scale farmers and ranchers. We've stopped it multiple times before, and we can do so again -- with YOUR help!

We urge you to take immediate action and voice your opposition to the USDA's electronic animal ID mandate.

TAKE ACTION

Action Step #1

Call your U.S. representative! Urge them to include a provision in the Farm Bill that protects farmers’ ability to use traditional forms of identification on their cattle. RFID Electronic Ear Tags are burdensome on small producers and favor cattle concentration and vertical integration.
Find Your Representative

Action Step #2

Spread the word! Please share this Action Alert with other ranchers, farmers, friends

and family. We need as many people to contact their elected representatives as

possible.

Action Step #3

Keep informed! FTCLDF will continue to follow and report on this matter. For more information and background on RFID tags CLICK HERE.

TALKING POINTS

1.The cost of RFID tags are burdensome on small and medium sized independent farmers and ranchers, and only benefits the largest producers and meat packers.

2. The USDA-proposed RFID tag rules would allow large, corporately-owned herds to be grouped and tagged as one group, which is not allowed with small producers.

3. RFID tags will increase vertical integration in the cattle industry, which is already a huge problem, and harms farmers and consumers by reducing choice and increasing the chance of catastrophic food system failure.

4. RFID tags have not been proven to increase food safety.

Please join us and spread the word about the importance of fair food and farming legislation.

In good health,

Alexia Kulwiec
Executive Director, FTCLDF

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