| Most food would be organic and non-GMO, and | | | | Cornell University, 'The "National Animal |
| much more food would be locally grown, rather | | | | Indentification System (NAIS)": A new threat |
| than imported and trucked thousands of miles | | | | to rural freedom?' appeared in Countryside & |
| – those things tend to be important to | | | | Small Stock Journal, a homesteading magazine. |
| vegetarians. Processed food would be reduced, | | | | NAIS is a system in the planning stages by |
| because optimum vegetarian nutrition comes | | | | the National Institute for Animal Agriculture |
| from whole foods in their natural state, and | | | | (NIAA), made up of the big corporate players |
| most vegetarians are interested in a healthy | | | | in U.S. meat production (the National Pork |
| diet. So, much of the energy that goes into | | | | Producers, Monsanto, Cargill, etc), and the |
| producing, packaging, warehousing and | | | | makers and marketers of high-tech animal ID |
| transporting processed food would be saved. | | | | equipment. |
| | | | |
| Vegetables and grains need much less land and | | | | Any person owning even one agricultural |
| water than animals, so it wouldn't be | | | | animal, like a horse, cow, chicken or duck |
| necessary to destroy rain forests or irrigate | | | | would have to register in a federal database, |
| arid land, or create deserts with over | | | | and report any time the animal left the |
| pasturing. Perhaps just enough animals could | | | | owner's property. The expense of registering, |
| be raised to satisfy the ovo-lacto | | | | reporting etc, as well as the GPS tracking, |
| vegetarians, and those few people who haven't | | | | would be born by the animal owners. NAIS |
| quite made the vegetarian transition, but | | | | would be enforced through seizure and fines. |
| even they would consume far less meat, for | | | | |
| the sake of their health. | | | | This system would make it difficult and |
| | | | expensive for people who raise their own |
| This idea isn't necessarily obvious to | | | | animals for food, or for small local |
| sustainable ag experts, mainly because they | | | | producers to continue, and strike a heavy |
| aren't vegetarian, and can't picture | | | | blow not only at sustainable agriculture and |
| agriculture without lots of animals. They are | | | | local organic production, but at individual |
| reluctant to be associated with what they | | | | freedom as well. As the article points out, |
| regard as a fringe group of cranks, | | | | it will also be completely ineffective in |
| eccentrics and wierdos. In other words, they | | | | controlling disease and infection in the food |
| can't think outside their meat-eating box. | | | | supply. |
| | | | |
| Some Interesting Examples | | | | There's a movement afoot, spearheaded by the |
| | | | National Cattlemen's Beef Association, to |
| 1. CAFO's: | | | | 'privatize' the database, which means they |
| | | | would have complete access to all the |
| A couple of months ago, I attended a | | | | information, and control over enforcement. |
| community meeting, held to organize | | | | Since this system is too big and widespread |
| opposition to CAFO's (contained animal | | | | to be effectively enforced, they would most |
| feeding operations, or hog lots) in SE Iowa | | | | likely just practice selective enforcement, |
| – a serious environmental threat). One | | | | through fines and seizure, against anyone |
| of the speakers stated that while he was | | | | they wanted to drive out of business. |
| against having a CAFO anywhere near his | | | | |
| country property, of course he himself didn't | | | | This scheme goes right along with Monsanto's |
| intend to stop eating pork. The audience was | | | | practice of suing farmers for patent |
| polite – they didn't boo him off the | | | | violation when their GMO seed propagates |
| stage! | | | | uninvited on the farmer's land. NAIS is quite |
| | | | disturbing to anyone who values individual |
| 2. The Ties That Blind | | | | freedom. For me, as an ovo-lacto vegetarian, |
| | | | after this system goes into effect, I'll no |
| John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus, U MO, highly | | | | longer be able to buy free-range organic eggs |
| respected and passionate sustainability | | | | from my neighbor, whose chickens are family |
| expert, wrote Meeting the Challenge of Peak | | | | pets. And our local organic dairy, with its |
| Oil with Sustainable Agriculture. In his | | | | blissful pampered jersey cows, could be |
| article, Prof Ikerd states: 'Shifting to a | | | | driven out of business. The Amish, who have a |
| vegetarian diet would be one obvious means of | | | | separate social and economic system, would |
| reducing energy use in agriculture, since | | | | also be seriously affected. |
| most food crops are net energy producers | | | | |
| – possibly cutting the food energy | | | | What will NAIS do to vegetarian sustainable |
| input/output ratio in half. However, (and | | | | agriculture? Not a lot, except that there |
| here's where he lost me) processing and | | | | won't be as much organic manure available. |
| distribution would still leave about a | | | | And animal manure isn't strictly necessary to |
| five-to-one net fossil energy deficit for | | | | organic growing – all you really need |
| total food production. In addition, the 20% | | | | are lots of green manure and worms. Since |
| fossil fuel equivalent produced by pasture | | | | growing vegetables and grains doesn't require |
| and forage plants – large net energy | | | | animals, it could be quite tempting for small |
| producers – would be lost.' | | | | meat producers to focus instead on raising |
| | | | grains and vegetables, and herbs. There are |
| I can see that processing and distribution | | | | quite a few high demand organic crops with |
| would still be a problem, unless there was no | | | | which small farmers do well. And the scarcity |
| processing, and the food was distributed | | | | of organic free range and pastured animal |
| locally. And I don't see what the 20% fossil | | | | foods will mean that more health conscious |
| fuel equivalent produced by pasture and | | | | and environmentally aware people will turn to |
| forage plants has to do with being | | | | vegetarianism. And that local organic |
| vegetarian. If you didn't have the animals to | | | | production will continue to grow and thrive, |
| pasture and forage in the first place, there | | | | as demand for vegetarian foods increases |
| would be 100% fossil fuel equivalent, not | | | | exponentially. |
| 20%. Apart from that lapse in logic, | | | | |
| attributable to the meat-eating bias, I | | | | Ms. Zanoni doesn't mention those |
| recommend this article and all of John | | | | possibilities, as the silver lining in this |
| Ikerd's other writing, available on his | | | | black ugly cloud, and the way that NAIS will |
| website | | | | backfire on these nefarious schemers. But |
| | | | never mind – the less they know about |
| 3. NAIS: | | | | it the better! Of course, if we're forced to |
| | | | go back to horse powered farm machinery, that |
| Another article, by Mary Zanoni, Ph.D., | | | | could be a problem. |