December 20, 2007

USDA releases plan to advance animal disease traceability

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on December 19 issued its draft of a Business Plan for Advancing Animal Disease Traceability, indicating support for the 48-hour traceback long-term goal of the National Animal Identification System and provides benchmarks to guide the programme as it moves towards optimum traceability.

The USDA said that the occurrence of animal diseases are unpredictable, it is in the best interest of producers to intensify the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

In order to improve traceability, USDA applied a business plan model in an effort to:

Identify areas of weakness and opportunity;

Establish benchmarks against which to measure success;

Communicate a vision for the future of traceability.

USDA said the draft plan provides a comprehensive look at the country's current traceability status, including a breakdown by species. It also details seven strategies that will provide the greatest amount of traceability progress in a short amount of time. These strategies involve state and federally regulated and voluntary animal health programs, industry-administered animal management and marketing programs, as well as various animal identification techniques. It also will allow these varied components to work in harmony. Drawing from already existing systems and data, reduces the cost, amount of time and effort needed to implement a national animal identification system.

USDA said it would periodically review and update the plan to leverage new opportunities, address unforeseen challenges and maintain forward movement towards the ultimate goal of 48-hour traceback.