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. -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---