National Animal Identification System: Premises Identification

Veterinary Services

January 2005

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)—currently being implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a voluntary basis—is intended to identify animals and poultry and record their movements over the course of their lifespans. USDA’s ultimate goal is to create an effective, animal tracking system that will help maintain the health of U.S. herds and flocks. When fully operational, it will allow animal tracing to be completed within 48 hours of a disease detection, ensuring rapid containment of the disease.

Premises Identification

The overall system must allow for the identification of each premises—or location—where animals are born, managed, marketed, or exhibited. It must also allow for the recording of animal identification and animal movement data. The NAIS must associate or link animal identification data to each premises where the animal or group was located and the specific dates the animal or animals were at the location.

The first step in implementing the NAIS is registering each premises in the United States and assigning that location its own unique identification number. As each State may have its own requirements, it is important that producers register their premises in the State where that premises is located. To ensure animal health officials at the national level have the necessary contact information in case of a disease concern, States will forward certain information to a national premises information repository maintained by USDA. National animal health officials will be able to access this very basic information quickly during a disease outbreak, helping them coordinate their response with the States that are affected.

The National Premises System

The national premises system includes the premises number allocator, premises registration systems, and a national premises information repository. These are all necessary components of the overall NAIS.

The premises number allocator is maintained at the national level, and it interfaces with premises registration systems maintained at the State level. Through the allocator, USDA can assign a unique premises identification number to each location where animals may commingle (e.g., a ranch, farm, grazing area, livestock market, slaughter establishment, or veterinary clinic). A single premises number will be used for each location, regardless of the number of species associated with it. In other words, a producer will not have a different premises identification number for beef, dairy, swine, etc. if all of these animals are located at the same operation.

A premises registration system is a database program. It allows necessary information about the premises to be collected and unique identification number to be assigned. In the event of an animal health investigation, the information collected through the premises registration system would allow animal health officials to get in touch with the appropriate contact person quickly.
States and Tribes are responsible for handling premises registration. Through premises registration systems, they collect information such as the premises street address, the name, and telephone number of the person authorities should contact during a disease traceback involving the premises, and the type of operation (market, farm, etc.). In addition, the date that information about the premises was initiated and the date it was “deactivated” are kept so the appropriate people (with knowledge of animals on the premises during the time in question) can be located. Data will be maintained for 20 years. The information collected through these systems will be vital to stopping future disease outbreaks and completing existing eradication programs.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing a standardized premises registration system that States and Tribes may elect to use. It is a Web–based system
maintained at an APHIS facility in Fort Collins, Colo. Some States and Tribes may opt instead to use a system that they developed or that a third party developed. State and Tribal authorities will determine which premises registration systems will be used in their areas. As long as a system has been evaluated by USDA and found to be compliant with the national data standards and with other technical requirements (e.g., communication integrity and system security), it may be used.

Certain pieces of data entered into the premises registration system will be forwarded electronically to a National Premises Information Repository. The information repository centralizes agreed–upon data and is necessary to support the overall NAIS.

The table below shows the 12 pieces of information that will be stored in the national premises system:

National Premises Information Repository — Data Elements

Premises ID Number

Name of Entity

Owner or Appropriate Contact Person*

Street Address

City

State

Zip/Postal Code

Contact Phone Number

Operation Type (e.g., production unit, exhibition, slaughter plant, etc.)

Date Activated

Date Retired e. g., date operation is sold; date operation is no longer maintaining livestock

Reason Retired

* The contact person should be the person the animal health official is to communicate with, when performing a traceback (as determined by the entity).

As USDA and its partners move forward with the NAIS, they will also be working to obtain information about specific animals or groups of animals that have been assigned official identification numbers. Only information necessary for animal health officials to be able to track suspect animals and identify any other animals that may have been exposed to the disease will be maintained.

Additional Information

For more information about the NAIS, contact:
USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services
4700 River Road, Unit 43
Riverdale, MD 20737–1231
Telephone (301) 734–6954
Fax (301) 734–7964
http://www.usda.gov/nais

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Click here for printable version (PDF)