The Department of Agriculture is writing interim regulations to implement the
National Animal Identification System (NAIS), a corporate welfare programme
for agribusiness and surveillance technology companies.  NAIS will drive
family farms out of business, raise the price of food, and multiply red tape.

NAIS will force owners of farm animals to obtain a radio-frequency
identification (RFID) tag for each animal they own.  Every time an animal
moves beyond the property on which it is normally kept, its owner will have
to file a report.  If a pet goat crosses the street, a report would have
to be filed.  Even though the government misleadingly labels the program
"voluntary," the Agriculture Secretary suggests it will become mandatory if
animal owners don't "volunteer."

This plan is a disaster for small farmers trying to make a living.  The cost
of RFID tags will range from $3 to $20 for each animal, but even more
significant would be the many other costs and registration fees associated
with the programme, and potentially heavy fines for incorrect reporting.
These costs will destroy the already small profit margins of many farmers,
driving them out of business.  Corporate-owned factory farms, however, would
need just one Group/Lot ID number to account for scores, even thousands of
animals, making their marginal cost per animal much more manageable.

Congress ought to put a stop to this very regressive strategy, one that
typifies the Bush government's selective support of big business at the
expense of the middle class.