I've talked about how an ID system should be voluntary and if it was economically viable should not even be required by the government. The free market will provide it. Starting to see it a little now. <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/15/news/business/55-tag.txt">This article</a> uses the voluntary use of ID tags as an opening to explain how the <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> system will be great, but I think we need to focus on the fact that voluntarily, due to market pressure, an ID system is being used without the government requiring it of all of us.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Japan reopened its market in July, with the new rules in place.<br />n<br />n"It creates an opportunity for ranchers or producers that can verify the age of the calves they are selling," said Todd Clemons, president of Okeechobee Livestock Market in Okeechobee. Local ranchers get a premium of about $20 per animal.<br />n<br />nSince April, the Okeechobee Livestock Market has sold 25,000 cattle through online auctions; 80 percent of those were calves with tags that make it possible to verify their age and birthplace.<br />n<br />nThe calves are shipped to feedlots in states such as Texas, and some are eventually sold to Japan and other export markets.</blockquote><br />n<br />nThis is like it should be. The free market working. The rest of the article is a big propaganda piece on why <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> would be so good for all of us since it would pinpoint "food borne illness." I guess they mean stuff like e-coli in spinach and lettuce. Excuse me, that's right, that will be covered by the <a href="http://www.noanimalid.com/archives/72-Thoughts.html">FUCK IT program</a> instead of <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym>. That's not an animal so <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> doesn't apply.<br />n<br />nGive it time and maybe voluntarily most animals will have ID. I will point out that the buyer of my calves told me he works with 3 different major packing plants and not one of them wants cattle with ID tags or any kind of source or age verification. They are not concerned about it. In fact if cattle with ID tags show up they charge a $40 per head fee to read the tags prior to slaughter. So the cost of this is on the person bringing the cattle in, not on the packer.<br />n<br />nLet's work towards a voluntary system. It's only right.<br />n<br />n<strong>They are the only honest hypocrites, their life is a voluntary dream, a studied madness. William Hazlitt</strong>