The meetings will take place
between 8 am and 4 pm, and the USDA has more information posted at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/meetings/index.shtml
The morning will consist of presentations
by government officials, followed by breakout sessions at tables based on
species groups. After the small groups
have reported back to the full audience, a USDA official will respond to
written questions, and there may be an opportunity at the very end for oral
questions or comments.
Below are a couple of
suggestions to help you be effective:
1)
Plan your written questions ahead of time. When the USDA official goes through the
questions in the afternoon, if he doesn't actually answer your question, stand
up and politely insist on an answer.
2)
At the small group discussion, be prepared to be
an advocate for your views and to politely disagree with the facilitator(s). If they claim that a "consensus" has been
reached with an answer that you don't agree with, say so. At the end, one person from the table will
report back to the full group. Let the
spokesperson give his or her report, and then politely speak up to add any points
that were covered by the group that were skipped.
For more information on the
previous public meetings and USDA's proposed framework, visit the Farm and
Ranch Freedom Alliance: http://farmandranchfreedom.org/action-6-6-10
