October 25, 2008

USDA approves additional four ID tags

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved three animal identification 840 tags from Destron Fearing/Digital Angel, and one premises identification tag for slaughter swine from Allflex.

In USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS), ID tags and devices are used to provide a higher level of animal traceability in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

Animal traceability will protect the US livestock industry during disease outbreaks, and animal identification is a key component of traceability, said Bruce Knight, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programmes.

By providing producers with a wide variety of approved identification devices, they can choose to identify their animals with the device that works best for their operation, while at the same time increasing traceability, according to Knight.

With the addition of these four new visual tags, producers participating in NAIS can choose from 26 different devices made by eight manufacturers. They have the option of visual 840 tags, RFID 840 tags, or RFID 840 injectable transponders for individual identification of animals born in the US. The 840 tags can also be used for animal health programmes, movement records, marketing programmes, breed registries, genetic programmes, and to document an animal's origin when meeting country-of-origin-labelling requirements.