May 9, 2006
USDA: Growing participation in animal ID programme
Participation in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) has been "good" so far and the US Department of Agriculture wants the level of participation to continue to grow, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said Monday (May 8).
The identification programme, which is still in the early stages of development, is intended to track farm animals to their origins. USDA officials said last month they hope to eventually be able to track any animal in the system to its source in a matter of 48 hours to help control outbreaks of animal diseases .
Johanns said animal premises in all 50 states now can be registered for the programme and the USDA has had "good participation" so far.
"I think we're making good progress," he said during an event sponsored by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
In early April, the USDA said 25 percent of all animal premises must be registered under NAIS by Jan 2007. A year later, by Jan 2008, 70 percent of premises must be registered and 40 percent of the livestock must be identified. By Jan 2009, USDA said, 100 percent of all premises must be registered, 100 percent of all newborn animals must be identified and 60 percent of all animals under a year old must have all of their movements documented.
Currently, the ID system is voluntary. Johanns has said repeatedly that the system will remain voluntary in the near future, and likely would remain voluntary, could become mandatory at some point.
Johanns conceded that the ID programme is a big change for US producers.
"Other countries have animal identification," he said, but "no country has done anything this large. We have a far larger herd than any other place in the world."
Besides its usefulness in animal disease outbreaks, the identification programme is useful from a trade standpoint as well as foreign customers are demanding animal traceability.
"I think to stay competitive in this marketplace, you're going to have to have animal ID," he concluded.
