January 22, 2007

USDA seeks more private-sector help on animal ID
 

The USDA wants more help from the private sector to bring together livestock producers under a national livestock identification and tracking programme.

The USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory services Bruce Knight in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, said he would send out a public invitation soon seeking proposals from representatives of the sheep, poultry, dairy and other industries.

The USDA has already accepted one proposal from pork industry representatives on how to bolster participation in the programme. The agency has offered US$400,000, National Pork Producers Council spokesman Dave Warner said recently.

It now has been working to get a similar agreement done with the cattle industry.

Knight said he was now primarily looking for help in completing "premise registration" of livestock production sites, the initial phase and foundation for the ultimate goal of identifying all livestock.

Participation in the premise registration and animal identification is voluntary, according to the USDA, but necessary in order for the government to "respond quickly and effectively to animal disease events." If the USDA could trace a diseased animal to its source, officials say they could minimise the spread of the disease and reassure consumers that their food is safe.

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

Besides, the USDA also wants private-sector proposals on improving identification and tracking methods so as not to disrupt the flow of commerce.

There were ample examples of massive identification measures meshing smoothly with commerce in Australia and Canada, Knight said, but noted that feedback from some pilot projects in the US had proven less successful.