SHA Items of Note
Feb. 9 - SHA/LAC defends its position on SD 1472 and working against NAIS
January 10 - SHA/LAC submits "Farming Protection Act" to Senator Brewer for legislative action.
July 19 - State House Hearing and Lobbying on NAIS 10:30 in the Great Hall, visit Hearing.htm web page.
6/12/06 - Senate
to hear Ag. Appropriations Bill.
Let Senators Kerry and Kennedy know how you feel about NAIS.
6/13/06 - Meeting in Ashby to plan Boston visit and Townsend Rally
6/26/06 - Pepperell Horse Owner's Association Meeting
Congressman Rice
does attend meeting and learns alot!
Click for more information.
5/22/06 - Rep. Rice confirms he will attend May 30 meeting.
5/12/06 - Flyer
is created for Handouts. Available from MA_Against_NAIS
@groups.yahoo.com
5/10/06- Set the
date for MA Rally Day!
July 8 is Farmer Independence Day*
4/25/06 - Small Holders Alliance is reborn to fight NAIS in Massachusetts
SmallHolders Alliance (SHA) started 6 years ago, with the onset of the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program. It was to unite small farmers in MA, so we could speak as a unit and not fight our battles alone. After a brief burst of action, SHA became idle. However, with the advent of the USDA's National Animal Identification System, I brought it back to life. SHA will continue to serve as a loosely based grassroots communication system between New England's small livestock farmers, but we will also use this site to communicate activities on the struggle against NAIS.
I am the Massachusetts State Coordinator for Liberty Ark Coalition, and am willing to speak to any group that wants to learn more about this program. If you'd like more information about Liberty Ark, or NAIS, check out the links on this page.
Attention Massachusetts Residents!
Join the SHA email list. No dues, no meetings, just networking, and a voice. Horses? Alpacas? Goats? Cows? Poultry? Just good food? Join SmallHolders Association in showing just how many people are involved in agriculture in Massachusetts. You decide what type of farming you want to do.Attention NH SmallHolders
NH's State Vet has made a request regarding access to information, exempting NAIS from Freedom of Information Act Inquiries. For more information, click here.
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10/23/07 - The Senate Agriculture Commitee has
released its rough language for the Farm Bill, and it includes NAIS.
The Committee will discuss the bill this week.
Act Now.
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| 10/21/07 - No Action Taken on MA SB 475 yet. Contact your State Senator and express your support for 475, which stops NAIS in all its forms, including coersion such as has been done in NC and CO. |
| 8/3/07 - Great Britain diagnoses Foot & Mouth Disease in Surrey.Voice your opinion to House and Senate that there are alternatives to NAIS, and to "stamping out." |
| 8/1/07 USA-GAO releases its findings on NAIS. Click here to learn what they said. |
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8/1/07 House Ag Committee passes Farm bill without
NAIS Language! Contact your Senator and tell them you don't want it
included in the Senate Ag Committee's bill or the Final Bill!
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| 7/20/07 House Commitee Passes Farm Bill, Opens door
to Mandatory NAIS FIGHT IT! Contact your Rep./Senator Now |
| Hearing Date for SB475 July 9, 1:00 p.m. |
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1/10/07 - MA,
VA, WA file anti-NAIS legislation
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Looking to Connect with
other Small Holders? Join our Discussion
email list. (This is a private list,
not Yahoo.) Need hay? Just want to vent? Want some advice? Have some animals for sale? Join SHA, no expense. |
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1/1007 - Senator Brewer sponsors
Anti-NAIS Bill Based on the Liberty Ark Coalition's "Livestock Farms Freedom Act" this bill is modified for Massachusetts. If it passes in its current form it will stop any mandatory NAIS program in MA, from Premises to Tagging to Tracking. Complete wording for the proposed bill can be found here. For more information on citizen action in MA, click here. To see who has signed to support anti-NAIS legislation in MA, click here. |
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If you do not wish to join the SHA mailing list, but wish to be counted among SHA members, please email us. We will keep your name, address and contact information on file, but not on the web, to protect you. This is simply to demonstrate to the "Powers that Be," that SHA represents many individuals in MA, though we are not an incorporated organization. Liberty Ark is represented throughout the nation. SHA is that voice in the Bay State.
Thank you. Pat and Dave
Feb. 14, 2007 - A letter has circulated around the anti-NAIS community accusing Liberty Ark Coalition and Pat Stewart of not working in the best interest of the fight against NAIS. Liberty Ark will publicize its own rebuttal, but here is a link to mine. Please take the time to read it. This is a critical time to unite in this fight. MA legislation is pending, and needs your support. Please, spread the word about 1472, and the importance of its protections.
To see the SmallHolders legislation - Docket 1472 vs. the alternative Docket 2166/House bill 1324 Click here. - Thank you, Pat
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Legislative Hearing Update A very special thank you to
Senator Stephen Brewer for his sponsoring SB475 and to Rep. Anne
Gobi for her help with H757. I can't thank Anne Petersen, or Bonnie
Chandler and Lenore Paul enough for their testimony in support of
SB475 and to all who testified for H757 and pointed out the impact
of tagging and tracking. We've got aways to go, but it was a great
beginning! |
Let Boston hear your voices! Join the Small Farm Protection Coalition on the governor's website - www.devalpatrick.com. In the My Issue section, there is a place to lend your voice to protecting small farms in MA, and stopping NAIS.