I find no indication to support the claim that bees
are, or ever will be regulated under NAIS.

If one reads the thread cited, which starts here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/message/23757

one finds nothing except idle speculation about how
beekeepers MIGHT fall under this program.  One also
quickly comes across this message:

> From: "Lew Best"
> Date: Tue Mar 14, 2006  4:34 am
> Subject: RE: [Organicbeekeepers] NAIS
>
> Here's where the confusion came in I think; did
> a Google search for usda-aphis & came up with this.
> Aphis = Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

It appears that he typed "aphis" rather than "apis".  :)


I think everyone can safely put away the tinfoil hats for now.
(As an aside, tinfoil hats may not be as effective a strategy
as previously thought.
See http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ )

So, while bees do not appear to be envisioned as needing to
be "tracked" under NAIS, Honey-handling operations of a certain
size certainly do have to comply with the FDA's "Registration
of Food Facilities", which is old news by now.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/fsbtreg.pdf
http://bee-quick.com/reprints/bioterrorism.pdf



Funny story, when I moved to VA, I bought a farm which had
been a diary operation since the 1920s.  The locals were
curious, given the sudden lack of cows wandering about.
When I was asked "what are you going to do with the place?"
while having breakfast with a group of farmers, I said
"keep bees".  The general response was "but that's not FARMING".
I said "Its harder work than you might think". When smiles
and guffaws resulted, I challenged "OK, then can I count on all
of your to lend me a hand during ear-tagging every spring?"

Dead silence resulted for nearly a full minute.

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