CattleAnnie
Well-known member
Thanks for the sentiments, Texan.
Personally, I have no opinion regarding NAIS good or bad, as I'm not an American citizen.
My posts were intended to point out that although we as Canadian producers were for the most part bitterly opposed to what we thought of as more darn "gov't interference" when CCIA was introduced, the revelation of first one BSE animal, and then others made us all realise that it was a very wise implementation in the end, as our ability to rapidly trace back animals would help restore consumer confidence.
No, the system is not perfect, but it's far and wide a better system than the one previously in use - which was basically none.
Sure, some ranchers and farmers kept excellent records...but then again, many didn't. This meant that all some folks had to prove where their animals originated was a sale barn receipt...and that's only if or when they could find the receipt.
Some used to argue that brands could be used as an ID method, but they failed to take into consideration the thousands of head raised every year that is neither branded nor tatooed, and therefore very hard to trace.
It also hit home up here, when our local sale barn buildings burnt to the ground, that relying on their records as a way of tracking livestock is a moot point when all their records have gone up in smoke.
Basically, I just hope and pray that you fine people in the US can come to an agreement and implementation of a system that makes the majority of the people in the industry happy...before it becomes necessary to track down an animal's herd of origin.
Take care and God bless.
Personally, I have no opinion regarding NAIS good or bad, as I'm not an American citizen.
My posts were intended to point out that although we as Canadian producers were for the most part bitterly opposed to what we thought of as more darn "gov't interference" when CCIA was introduced, the revelation of first one BSE animal, and then others made us all realise that it was a very wise implementation in the end, as our ability to rapidly trace back animals would help restore consumer confidence.
No, the system is not perfect, but it's far and wide a better system than the one previously in use - which was basically none.
Sure, some ranchers and farmers kept excellent records...but then again, many didn't. This meant that all some folks had to prove where their animals originated was a sale barn receipt...and that's only if or when they could find the receipt.
Some used to argue that brands could be used as an ID method, but they failed to take into consideration the thousands of head raised every year that is neither branded nor tatooed, and therefore very hard to trace.
It also hit home up here, when our local sale barn buildings burnt to the ground, that relying on their records as a way of tracking livestock is a moot point when all their records have gone up in smoke.
Basically, I just hope and pray that you fine people in the US can come to an agreement and implementation of a system that makes the majority of the people in the industry happy...before it becomes necessary to track down an animal's herd of origin.
Take care and God bless.
