January 9, 2007

USDA bolsters participation in livestock tracking programme; aids pork producers

The US Department of Agriculture has signed an agreement to give US$400,000 to representatives of the US pork producing industry to bolster participation in the national livestock identification and tracking programme, an industry spokesman said Monday (Jan 8).

Dave Warner, spokesman for the National Pork Producers Council, said the USDA signed an agreement Monday to turn over the funds that will be used by industry coordinators "to encourage producers to register premises".

About 40 percent of US pork producers have registered their production premises in the national programme created to track livestock in the event of disease outbreak.

The USDA has said it hopes to have 70 percent of all livestock premises and 40 percent of all livestock animals registered by Jan 2008. By Jan 2009, USDA wants 100 percent of all premises registered, 100 percent of all newborn animals identified and 60 percent of all animals under a year old documented.

Participation in the government programme is strictly voluntary and will remain that way, USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight said recently. The goal of the programme is to eventually be able to track any animal to its source in a 48-hour time frame.

The National Pork Producers Council is scheduled to hold a teleconference with reporters at 3 pm EST do discuss details of the industry effort to increase participation in the programme.