February 22, 2010

US weighs on livestock traceability method

The American meat industry is up in arms over a federal decision to abandon a US$120 million livestock-tracking system designed to limit the economic and human health impact of animal disease outbreaks.

Meatpackers are concerned that a new, narrower programme proposed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will not reassure foreign buyers about the safety of US meat exports. State officials are also worried that this may cause new financial burden for states with a stretched budget.

But federal officials say the six-year-old voluntary programme being replaced never attracted enough participation from farmers and ranchers to be effective.

Animal health experts have long argued a national livestock identification is essential for rapidly containing livestock diseases. Outbreaks across the globe of mad cow disease, bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease have cost farmers billions of dollars since the 1990s. In the US, beef exports have never fully recovered from a case of mad cow disease in 2003, as trade barriers continue to limit shipments.

The NAIS was supported by many large producers of milk, chickens and hogs, as well as meatpackers stung in the 2003 mad cow scare. But many beef ranchers and small farmers spurned the voluntary programme, crippling the effort.

Vilsack said February 5 that he was starting over with a different, mandatory programme - he wants state governments to keep track of livestock - but only those animals moving across state borders.

There are concerns that identification practices will vary among states, which will make tracing back diseased animals remain a cumbersome task. Some state authorities worry the federal government will not fully fund the mandate.

Federal officials plan to begin meeting with state officials about the new programme in March. The USDA aims to publish a proposed rule by the end of 2010.