Animal ID: Where We Stand
Remarks for Bruce I. Knight, Under Secretary for
Marketing and Regulatory Programs
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Nashville, TN
February 1, 2007
Thank you, Allen (Bright). I appreciate the opportunity to join you today to talk about animal identification—and where we stand.
Joining me today are Deputy Under Secretary Burton Eller and Dr. John Clifford, head of Veterinary Services for APHIS. I understand the Secretary will be speaking tomorrow, and he’ll address the new farm bill policy then.
As you know, we are putting in place a voluntary National Animal Identification System, or NAIS for short. I hope many of you have already signed up to participate in the first phase—premises identification.
We also need your help getting others registered, and we’ll soon be signing a cooperative agreement with NCBA to help us reach out and get more farmers and ranchers to take the first step and register their premises. We recently signed a similar agreement with the pork producers.
In fact, tomorrow we are announcing a Request for Proposals from livestock and poultry industry organizations and entities to join with us in cooperative agreements to increase participation in NAIS. Under these agreements, we will make up to $6 million available for organizations to promote registrations, in addition to funds for NCBA and the pork producers—depending upon funds available in FY 07, of course.
There’s another new development as well. Shortly, we’ll be publishing three documents in the Federal Register for public comment: the NAIS User Guide, a Program Standards and Technical Reference document, and a technical specifications document for the animal tracking databases.
We put the draft NAIS user guide—the most detailed and up-to-date information on animal ID—on the website in November and asked for comments. Putting it in the Federal Register expands the opportunities for people to comment on it.
The other two documents provide technical information on the data standards for NAIS information and the technical requirements for private and state animal tracking databases to participate in the Animal Trace Processing System.
Once these documents are published, I hope you will share your suggestions and ideas for improvement with us. We need to hear from farmers and ranchers directly so we can serve you better.
NAIS is Top Priority
Secretary Johanns has made it clear that NAIS is and will remain one of his top priorities. Clearly, identification of animals in the production chain is a critical tool for safeguarding our nation’s herds and flocks from disease.
NAIS is a voluntary system designed to protect animal health, protect producers’ businesses, protect access to markets, and protect neighbors who share the rural landscape.
Of course, protection begins with the first step, premises registration. It’s simple, and it’s free.
From the beginning, our goal has been to create a practical system focused on animal health. We wanted a system that built on the work that states and industry organizations have already done and the partnerships and working relationships now in place.
NAIS meets the need for a modern system that can enable us to respond quickly—ultimately within 48 hours when a disease outbreak occurs. This is a system that will work effectively for producers and all those in the livestock production chain.
Need for NAIS
We all know that the threat of an outbreak in the United States is real. Everyone can—and should—take appropriate steps to protect their animals, but some risk remains.
We’re all working to make sure that disease outbreak never arrives, that agri-terrorism never reaches our shores. However, it’s impossible to completely eliminate the threat or predict when an outbreak will occur, where it will hit or how severe it will be.
That’s why it’s so important to establish a modern, effective system to conduct rapid traceouts and tracebacks when an outbreak occurs—ideally within 48 hours.
Premises registration ensures that we have a nationwide communications network ready if and when we need it.
NAIS will reduce delays, cut losses and help retain markets. Responding rapidly, containing the problem and eradicating disease also reduces unnecessary loss of animals, the loss of labor, and the loss of irreplaceable breeding stock and bloodlines. And, it prevents economic harm to your operation or your neighbor’s.
Progress So Far
NAIS offers great promise, but only if producers choose to participate. Secretary Johanns has set some challenging goals for NAIS. I’m pleased to share with you that we’ve pretty much met the first one—getting 25 percent of premises registered by January 31 this year.
That was yesterday, of course. Today, we have more than 353,000 premises registered—out of 1.4 million premises. And we’ll take yours today at the trade booth, if you like!
Now we need to focus on the next goal—having a critical mass of producers on board by the end of January 2009—two years from now. Getting premises registered will be job one for this year—and critical for 2008 as well, and we’re looking forward to having NCBA’s help.
The big push is on commercial operations, first and foremost. However, the threat of disease is size-neutral, so we’re encouraging everyone who has livestock—even just a backyard flock or a couple of riding horses—to register their premises.
Premises Registration
As you know, NAIS includes three components—premises registration, animal identification and animal tracking or tracing. Farmers and ranchers can participate in one, two or three components.
This is a voluntary system. So it’s strictly up to you as a producer to decide to what extent you want to participate. But the key to NAIS is the first component—premises registration, which costs the producer nothing. For NAIS to work, we need to get everyone on board.
Changes in NAIS
I know we need to clarify some issues on NAIS. We’ve made some changes in the system—and that’s left some folks confused and unsure. But the truth is we’ve made those changes in response to feedback we’ve received from farmers, ranchers and our partners in the states and industry organizations.
That includes making clear that at the federal level, NAIS is a voluntary system, and making it clear that our objective is protecting animal health. We have the healthiest livestock in the world—and we want to safeguard our animals and also protect neighbors.
Voluntary Approach
We’ve made it clear—and I can’t stress this too often or too much—that NAIS is a voluntary system. That’s a voluntary system at the federal level, with a capital “V.”
Participating is a business decision. It’s your business, and your decision.
As a producer, you can also choose the extent of your participation. You can choose to simply register your premises and stop there.
Volunteering to register your premises today does not commit you to participating in the tagging or tracing phases of NAIS down the road. The bottom line is simply: Register to Protect: Your Animals. Your Livelihood. Your Future.
Outreach and Communication
To make NAIS successful, reaching out to producers and stakeholders is essential. Working with the states, APHIS has developed new communications materials to provide information producers told us they needed before they could make a commitment to register their premises.
Please visit our website, for all the latest information—including the three documents that we’ll be publishing in the Federal Register. Just go to: www.usda.gov/nais.
Confidentiality
Let me turn to one of the concerns we hear about most frequently—confidentiality.
We’ve had producers ask:
- Are you going to track my animals on my farm?
- Are you going to give out my private business information in response to Freedom of Information requests?
- Will other federal agencies have access to information about my operation?
The answer to all these questions—and many more we have received—is NO. We have specifically built safeguards into NAIS to ensure that private business information is safeguarded.
Animal identification and tracing information will be kept in state and private databases, not with USDA. It will only be accessed when there’s a need to trace animals in a disease outbreak situation.
Secretary Johanns has said repeatedly that USDA will protect farmers and ranchers’ private information. We take our responsibility for confidentiality seriously. We will not betray the trust that farmers and ranchers place in us through NAIS. That trust goes to the core of the development of NAIS as a true partnership.
Costs
There’s also been some concern about costs for NAIS. While premises registration is free, there are costs involved in the second phase—animal identification.
Our goal is to keep those as low as possible by encouraging a wide variety of options for tags. As you know, we have four tags from two companies approved for cattle. As more industry working groups develop recommendations for their species, we expect more companies to develop products to meet those requirements.
In Phase III, state and industry organizations will maintain the databases to enable animal tracing. Again costs will vary, depending on the services the producer chooses to use. Competition among databases should help to keep costs down. We expect the payoff for producers to come as the market begins to pay a premium for animals whose history is known.
Phase II
As I said earlier, our primary push for the next year is premises registration. But at the same time, we are moving forward on the next two phases.
USDA will authorize manufacturers, industry organizations, service providers and states to maintain databases on animal identification numbers issued. These databases are scheduled to become operational in April.
Keeping information on distribution of the animal identification numbers or AINs in state or private databases rather than USDA’s AIN Management System is part of USDA’s effort to respond to producers’ concerns about privacy.
Phase III
Let’s turn now to Phase III—animal tracing. States and the private sector will maintain records to permit animal tracing in the case of a disease outbreak. Animal health officials will only request animal movement information from these databases when there is a risk to animal health.
Producers will be able to choose an animal tracing database to report animal movements that might pose a significant risk of disease transmission. Again, this is where competition among various databases can help minimize costs and maximize confidentiality.
Each of the databases need hold only a minimum of information for each animal or lot—the premises identification number, the animal identification number and date of the event and the event itself—move in or move out.
Databases can include more information, such as the species, age and sex of the animal. But this information is not necessary for animal health purposes. Since database creators and providers may offer additional services, costs will vary.
We are currently working on technical requirements to integrate private and state animal tracking databases with NAIS. We expect to complete the Animal Trace Processing System shortly.
Conclusion
Over the past year, I believe we’ve made significant strides with NAIS, making some needed changes in response to feedback from producers. We’ve met the first target for getting premises registered.
With the help of leaders in the cattle industry, we’re looking forward to getting more farmers and ranchers signed up. We still have work to do in finalizing the next two phases—animal identification and tracing. But NAIS is coming together.
Now we just need to complete the work we’ve begun and increase participation.
In the end, a voluntary National Animal Identification System will be successful—and pay off for American agriculture—because farmers, industry organizations and states recognize its value, support it and participate in it.