I don’t know how many of you have tried to research the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), but if you have I am sure you have seen or heard many different versions of what is proposed. Most is likely totally unrelated to what the equine working group is proposing or going to propose.

The primary alarms that I have heard are:

"NAIS is primarily to aid and abet the horse slaughter industry."

Or

"You’ll have to report every time you take your horse off of your property."

I don’t believe either of the above is true. I’ve talked to a member of the working group on cattle and he assures me that their only concern is related to health issues. Furthermore he insists that if the rules are adopted that the working group has outlined, those who raise animals only for their own use will never have to report those animals to the NAIS.

What they are concerned with (the cattle group) is when animals from different farms co-mingle at sales and shows. In those cases they want the animals identified and reported.

One problem is that the USDA will not provide links to the working groups recommendations on the NAIS web site because they (USDA) have not accepted those recommendations. Because of this it has been difficult for the various working groups to get their recommendations out to producers and breeders. (I did get a copy of the cattle recommendations and it greatly eased my mind regarding what will likely be required for my small herd of cattle.)

OK, that’s cattle, what about horses?

This is not the final proposal. I don’t think the equine group has put together a final proposal, whereas the cattle group have presented their proposal to the USDA and are waiting for approval.

This document does include the names of the working group members and is a good place to start if you want to express your concerns or desires on the proposed rules for equines.