Senate Bill Introduced to stop National Animal Identification System from becoming mandatory
Tyler County Booster - March 2009

Texas State Senator Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, has introduced Senate Bill 682 which would stop the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) from making the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) mandatory for Texas farmers and ranchers. The NAIS is a program developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track every livestock animal in the country, in most cases using electronic identification such as microchips and RFID tags. Under the current law, the TAHC has the authority to make NAIS mandatory whenever it wishes. SB 682 removes that authority and repeals the civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance. “The USDA publically claims that NAIS is a voluntary program,” explains Judith McGeary, director of Austin-based Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, “but the department has encouraged states to make participation mandatory and has been successful in doing so in at least three states—Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. We applaud Senator Eltife’s effort to keep that from happening here.”