National animal identification system.

WORKING DRAFT
2009
STATE OF
WYOMING
09LSO-0125

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
NO.
HJ0014

National animal identification system.

Sponsored by:

Representative(s) Wallis and Shepperson

A Bill

for

A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to prevent the establishment of a national animal identification system effort in
Wyoming
.

WHEREAS,
Wyoming has a long-standing, and very effective system for tracking ownership and movement of livestock through our livestock brands, the imposition of a National Animal Identification System is an unnecessary federal intrusion into a system that has been effective since territorial days
; and

WHEREAS,
Wyoming
has, and will continue to cooperate with the various states and the federal government, to provide efficient and accurate tracking in matters of animal and human welfare
; and

WHEREAS,
the stated purpose of a national animal identification system being the protection of the food supply, a much more appropriate place for the federal government to direct their focus would be testing at the point of slaughter, especially of large-scale processors
; and

WHEREAS,
the system as proposed is being put forth as purely voluntary, but the stated objective is that it would become mandatory at some point in the future
; and

WHEREAS,
a mandatory system would be a tremendous disservice to Wyoming's ranchers, an invasion of privacy, the ability to manage their businesses as they see fit, and would result in a defacto requirement to be licensed by the federal government before you could own livestock, and would result in a massive financial burden on producers who are already struggling with a marginal ability to make a profit
.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WYOMING
:

Section 1.

T
hat the
Wyoming
legislature firmly believes that all animal identification and premise registration efforts remain at the state, and not the national level.

Section 2.

That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation.

(END)

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HJ0014