News

Federal judge rules NAIS records protected

A federal judge in Washington DC has ruled that records collected in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) cannot be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Actbecause they are protected by the U.S. Privacy Act. According to Capital Press, attorney and freelance writer Mary-Louise Zanoni of Russell, New York sued the USDA last June demanding it comply with her request to view livestock and premises records collected as part of NAIS, asking a federal judgeto prevent the USDA from using privacy law to shield those records. Her intent, according to Feedstuffs.com, was to reveal what she believed would be information showing USDA had registered premises without the knowledge of property owners.

Confidentiality is one of manyconcerns of producers who are against a mandatory national animal identification system. This March 31st ruling, although it can be appealed, seems to put that concern to rest.

Zanoni, a staunch opponent of NAIS, is a freelance writer for The Milkweed, a dairy industrypaper based in Wisconsin.