Keep it voluntary. That’s the message cattle producers and landowners are encouraged to send about "premise" and animal identification programs.

Check out our FREE online Bill Pay!

A bill, LB 632, is on the calendar Thursday at the Legislature. It would allow land and livestock owners to opt out of the "Locate in 48" program if they have already joined, as well as similar programs.

LB 632 is first on the calendar Thursday, Jan. 24. It will be debated when the Legislature convenes at 9 a.m. -- Editor.

The Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska urge land and livestock owners to contact their state senators now.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has repeatedly stated that the national animal identification program is “voluntary at the federal level”, yet the Nebraska Department of Agriculture wants to achieve full participation in the "Locate in 48" program by 2009, ICON stated.

The state department of agriculture has received money from the USDA to implement the ID program.

The bill, LB 632, does not infringe on people’s right to participate in NAIS, but "simply prohibits the state from telling people that they have to participate", ICON says.

ICON is concerned that costs will mount in the new program, and also that the identification stops at the packing plant. Therefore, it does nothing to increase information about the animal or the meat from that point on.

Registration contains business information, which could be public because data will be maintained in state, regional and private company databases. And, ICON said the program could be especially hard on small producers.

“The potential cost of participation in NAIS will burden producers to the extent that some will abandon farming and ranching, impacting related businesses such as feed stores, auction barns, livestock supply stores, implement dealers and the real estate market,” ICON said.

Overall, ICON is not opposed to identifying animals, but is concerned about the proposed "national animal identification system."

“We have been doing it (identifying animals) for generations,” ICON stated Tuesday. “The government and the livestock industry already have systems in place for tracking animals."