Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. What is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)?
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Answer
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A. The NAIS is a national program intended
to identify all agricultural animals and track them as they
come into contact with, or are inter–mixed with, animals
other than herdmates from their premises of origin. Already,
many species in U.S. animal industries can be identified through
some sort of identification system, but these systems are
not consistent across the country. Tracing an animal’s
movements can therefore be a time–consuming endeavor
during a disease investigation, especially if the animal has
moved across State lines. On April 27, 2004, Agriculture Secretary
Ann M. Veneman announced the framework for implementing the
NAIS—an animal identification and tracking system that
will be used in all States and that will operate under national
standards. When fully operational, the system will be capable
of tracing a sick animal or group of animals back to the herd
or premises that is the most likely source of infection. It
will also be able to trace potentially exposed animals that
were moved out from that herd or premises. The sooner animal
health officials can identify infected and exposed animals
and premises, the sooner they can contain the disease and
stop its spread. The NAIS will enhance U.S. efforts to respond
to intentionally or unintentionally introduced animal disease
outbreaks more quickly and effectively. USDA’s long–term
goal is to establish a system that can identify all premises
and animals that have had direct contact with a foreign animal
disease or a domestic disease of concern within 48 hours of
discovery.
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Q. What is the U.S. Animal Identification Plan (USAIP)?
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Answer
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A. Before the Secretary established the
NAIS, a partnership of more than 100 animal and livestock
professionals from 70 associations, organizations, and government
developed the USAIP. The plan laid out a framework and defined
suggested data standards for implementing and maintaining
a phased–in national animal identification system for
the United States. In implementing the NAIS, USDA is drawing
from some of the data standards first established in the USAIP.
However, the USAIP should not be viewed as an exact blueprint
for the NAIS. USDA will continue to seek input from industry
and other interested parties throughout the design and implementation
of the NAIS.
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Q. What's the Difference between the USAIP and the NAIS?
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Answer
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A. The USAIP was a plan created by industry
and government representatives over the course of 2 years
to address national animal identification. The NAIS builds
upon aspects of the USAIP and is the program that USDA is
moving forward with in implementing national animal and premises
identification. USDA will continue to seek industry input
as the NAIS progresses.
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Q. Why is a National Animal Identification System Needed?
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Answer
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A. A national animal identification system
is needed to help protect American animal agriculture from
foreign or domestic disease threats. Finding potentially sick
or exposed animals early in a disease outbreak is essential
to containing or eradicating the disease quickly. The NAIS
would allow for rapid tracing of animals in the event of an
outbreak, helping to limit the scope and expense of the outbreak
and allowing us to minimize impact on domestic and foreign
markets. The NAIS will also be critical as USDA, States, and
industry work to complete the disease eradication programs
in which we have invested many years and millions of dollars.
The NAIS may have merit for producers for other reasons as
well, including providing additional marketing opportunities.
The NAIS will also help uphold the reputation of the United
States as having healthy animals and will promote continued
confidence in American agricultural and animal products.
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Q. Is the NAIS Related to the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) initiative?
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Answer
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A. The NAIS is not being implemented as
a result of the COOL initiative. The intent of the NAIS is
to create the ability to track animal disease to its source
and other potentially exposed premises within a 48- hour period
after detection. However, animal owners may be able to use
information collected under the NAIS should they wish to participate
for other purposes, including the COOL program.
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Q. Why is 48-hour Traceback Capability Needed?
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Answer
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A. To protect the health of the U.S. herd,
sound scientific principles indicate that being able to track
and contain a disease within 48 hours is essential. For the
industry to maintain confidence in animal health, it will
need to demonstrate its ability to meet this standard.
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Q. What are the Benefits for Producers to Participate in the NAIS?
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Answer
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A. The adoption of a national animal identification
system will help secure the health of the national herd. The
program will provide animal owners and animal health officials
with the infrastructure to improve current disease eradication
and control efforts; protect against widespread foreign and
domestic animal disease outbreaks; and provide infrastructure
to address threats from deliberate introduction of disease.
The industry may integrate the standards defined through the
NAIS with their management systems and performance recording
programs. Using the same identification technologies for both
regulatory and industry programs allows for the development
of a more cost–effective and user–friendly system
for the animal owner. Animal owners can also benefit from
the additional animal identification information that would
be obtained through the NAIS to improve production efficiencies
and add value to their animals. However, the information systems
would be completely separate: Proprietary production data
will not be transmitted to nor maintained in the NAIS information
repositories.
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Q. How Much Will the Program Cost?
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Answer
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A. It is difficult to quantify the cost
of a fully operational system since all of the needed components
have not yet been fully defined. During fiscal year (FY) 2004,
USDA has invested $18.8 million into the NAIS, and the President’s
FY 2005 Budget requests an additional $33 million.
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Q. Who Will Pay for the Identification System?
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Answer
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A. The size and scope of this undertaking
demand that it be a cooperative effort. Because it is being
developed as an industry–government partnership, it
is expected that industry and the government will share the
cost of the necessary elements.
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Q. Where Do Producers Get Premises Identification Numbers?
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Answer
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A. Each State’s and Tribe’s
animal health authority (e.g., State veterinarian) is responsible
for administering and maintaining a premises registration
system for the region under its purview. Once a system is
operational in each area, the State or Tribal animal health
official will obtain unique national premises identification
numbers through USDA’s premises number allocator. The
premises registration system will record information such
as address, contact name, type of premises, and phone number
to contact the person in charge of the premises. Key pieces
of information will be sent to the national premises information
repository so that it will be available in the case of a disease
traceback.
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Q. What Forms of Identification Will be Used?
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Answer
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A. USDA understands that there is no “one–size–fits–all”
identification technology. Many methods are currently on the
market: radio frequency identification devices, retinal scans,
DNA, etc. It is likely that some technologies will work better
for some species than for others. Rather than focus on a specific
technology, USDA will focus on the design of the identification
data system—what information should be collected and
when it should be collected and reported. Once the identification
system is designed, the market will determine which technologies
will be the most appropriate to meet the needs of the system.
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Q. Do Horse Owners Have to Eartag Their Horses?
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Answer
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A. No. Species–specific working groups,
which are providing input to USDA, are aware of traditional
methods of identifying animals and will not recommend methods
that are contrary to current practices. The goal is to provide
valid identification without compromising other needs of a
given species.
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Q. Where Do Producers Get Official Animal Identification Numbers?
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Answer
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A. Following premises registration, producers
may contact an animal identification number manager in their
area to obtain official animal identification numbers (AIN).
AINs will be issued to the premises and linked to the animals
in a way that is appropriate for the species. For example,
cattle producers may use ear tags on their animals, while
LaMancha goat producers may require a different type of identification
method, since their animals have very small ears. Producers
should check with their State or Tribal animal health authority
to determine who they should contact about AINs. In many cases,
the States and Tribes are in the preliminary stages of implementing
the NAIS, so they may not have an AIN manager in place yet.
Please Note: Other identification numbering systems defined
in the Code of Federal Regulations will remain official through
a NAIS transition period. Producers should check with a State,
Federal, or Tribal animal health authority for more information
about obtaining AINs and Group/Lot Identification Numbers
for various livestock species.
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Q. Will Animal Owners Need to Have a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Reader?
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Answer
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A. USDA is maintaining a technology–neutral
position with regard to the technologies that will be used
to identify animals. USDA is developing the standards for
collecting and reporting information, but industry will determine
which type of identification method or methods work best for
each species. Radio frequency technology is one form of electronic
identification that has been discussed for use with cattle.
Animal owners that use RFID for official identification will
not necessarily need to have an RFID reader. For example,
a producer may be able to record the RFID code of the electronic
device before it is applied to an animal and cross–reference
the code with a visual–tag number. This would allow
the producer to maintain a record of the RFID code without
having to read (scan) the transponder. Industry providers
may sell RFID eartag attachments on which the RFID code is
printed for visual readability. While reading and recording
the RFID code manually is not ideal, it can be achieved.
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Q. Who Will Pay for Electronic Identification Readers and Their Installation in Markets and Slaughter Plants? Who Will Pay for the Electronic Identification Devices?
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Answer
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A. The NAIS plan is being developed as an
industry –government partnership, so it is expected
that industry and the government will share the cost of the
necessary elements. At this point, we do not envision any
significant Federal funding being used for individual animal
tags or other such devices. However, funding of select electronic
readers could be accommodated under agreements with some cooperators.
We should point out that a variety of identification systems
are currently used in the United States to identify various
livestock species. The Department’s technology–neutral
position will allow industry to determine which animal identification
method or methods are the most practical and effective for
each species.
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Q. If a Producer Is Currently Using an Identification Program through a Private Service or Marketing Alliance, Will That Identification Be Usable in the NAIS?
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Answer
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A. Yes, assuming the program is compliant
with the official NAIS standards.
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Q. Should Producers or Their Industry Associations Consider Options for Aligning Themselves with a Database Management Provider to Ensure They Remain in Compliance with the NAIS?
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Answer
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A. Producers are free to use any data management
service they choose. Many of them provide a valuable service
in managing production and marketing data to help producers
maximize the profit potential of their agricultural enterprise.
These companies will undoubtedly provide much needed animal
movement data to the national animal tracking information
system. There are, however, no plans to require producers
to participate in any private data management system or align
themselves with any specific data service provider. USDA would
characterize such action as premature if the reason is merely
to stay in compliance with the NAIS. There is definitely no
urgency, as no immediate implementation requirements have
been established. The NAIS will be phased in over time, and
an adequate transition period, augmented with abundant public
informational materials, will be established for animal owners
to work into the system. USDA is taking necessary steps to
have the NAIS data standards established as official; the
AIN is an example. Under the NAIS, USDA is proposing that
every animal needing to be identified individually would have
a 15–character number. Groups or lots of animals would
be identified through a 13–character number, and premises
would be identified through a 7–character number. Many
producers are already asking to make a move to this numbering
system from the multiple systems currently in use. Accordingly,
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
is planning to pursue rulemaking to recognize for official
use the 7–character premises identification number,
the 13–character group/lot identification number, and
the 15–character AIN. This would allow those who want
to start the migration to do so, while not requiring it for
others who may not be ready.
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Q. Who Will be Responsible for Applying Identification to Animals?
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Answer
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A. During the phase–in period, animals
will need to be identified as they leave whatever premises
they are on regardless of where they were born. After the
first few years of the program, identifying animals will be
the responsibility of the “premises of birth”
animal owners. For animal owners who lack equipment for individual
identification, “tagging stations” will be available.
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Q. What is a Tagging Station and Where Will Such Stations be Located?
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Answer
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A. A tagging station is an entity operating
from a fixed location that has been officially approved by
APHIS to apply identification devices to animals that are
required to be identified. USDA recognizes that not all animal
owners will have facilities to individually tag animals before
they leave their premises of origin. Therefore, animal owners
who are required to individually tag animals that leave the
premises of origin can elect to transport animals to an approved
tagging station. They would pay the operator of the tagging
station a fee to apply individual animal identification devices
and report the identification information to a central information
repository. Such tagging stations may include, but not be
limited to, an existing livestock marketing facility, a veterinary
clinic, a fairgrounds, or a facility specifically dedicated
to performing tagging services.
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Q. If a Person Raises Animals for His or Her Own Use and the Animals Never Leave the Owner's Property, Do They Need to be Identified?
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Answer
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A. Under the current plan, animals that
never leave a premises do not need to be identified. However,
animal owners are encouraged to identify their animals and
their premises, regardless of the number of animals present,
since many animal diseases may be spread whether an animal
leaves its home premises or not. Examples of such diseases
include West Nile virus, foot–and–mouth disease,
vesicular stomatitus, and equine infectious anemia.
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Q. If a Person Only Shows Animals or Only Takes Them to Trail Rides, Do They Need to be Identified?
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Answer
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A. When people show or commingle their animals
with animals from multiple premises, the possibility of spreading
disease becomes a factor. Those animals will need to be identified.
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Q. What is "Commingling"?
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Answer
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A. Commingling may be defined as an animal
having contact with, or being inter–mixed with, animals
other than herdmates from that animal’s premises of
origin.
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Q. What Data Will USDA Require, Who Will It be Kept by, and in What Form Will It be Kept?
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Answer
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A. The identification of livestock premises
is the foundation of the NAIS and must be established before
animals can be tracked. USDA will require the following pieces
of information about registered premises: premises identification
number; the name of the entity; appropriate contact person;
street address/city/state/zip code; contact phone number,
operation type; and the date the premises number was activated,
the date the premises number was deactivated, and the reason
for deactivation. State or Tribal animal health authorities
will receive this data or have access to this data through
their premises registration systems, and USDA will store the
data in the national premises information repository. Once
an animal has been assigned an AIN, USDA will be able to trace
its movements and carry out efficient epidemiological investigations
by keeping a record of the AIN, the premises identification
that the AIN was seen at or allocated to, the date the AIN
was seen or allocated, and an appropriate event code (e.g.
sighting, movement–in, movement–out, etc.). Additional
information that can be important in a disease investigation,
such as the animal’s species, date–of–birth
(if possible), sex, and breed, may also be reported. This
data would be stored by USDA in the national animal identification
information repository. Some species will likely be identified
through group/lot identification numbers. In these cases,
producers will keep a record of the lot identification number,
the premises identification where the lot identification number
was seen, and the date it was seen. If species is available,
this can also be provided to USDA’s national animal
identification information repository. Requirements for reporting
these movements to the national animal tracking information
repository have not been established.
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Q. Who Will Have Access to Information in the National Animal Identification Databases?
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Answer
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A. As part of the NAIS, Federal, State,
and Tribal animal health and public health officials will
have access to the information repositories when they need
data to administer animal health programs at the state and
national level. For example, they may access the database
if a USDA program disease—such as tuberculosis or brucellosis—or
a suspected foreign animal disease is reported and requires
an epidemiological investigation. They may also access the
database during emergency response simulations.
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Q. What Species Will be Included in the NAIS?
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Answer
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A. The NAIS is being developed for all animals
that will benefit from having a system to facilitate rapid
traceback/traceout in the event of disease concern. Currently,
working groups are developing plans for aquaculture, camelids
(llamas and alpacas), cattle/bison, cervids (deer and elk),
equine, goats, poultry, sheep, and swine.
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Q. Will Stakeholders Need More Than One Premises Identification Number if They Have More than One Species on Their Premises?
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Answer
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A. No. A single premises identification
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 separate premises identification number for
beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, etc.
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Q. Will This be a Mandatory Program?
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Answer
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A. USDA and its cooperators are working
toward developing a national program that will allow us to
rapidly track animals exposed to a disease concern and that
will meet the needs of animal owners, animal industries, domestic
and international markets, and consumers. The system needs
to be tested to be sure it is effective and workable. While
the NAIS is being developed and refined, producer participation
will be voluntary. As the system continues to take shape and
is tested for all livestock and food animals, USDA will reassess
the need for making some or all aspects of the program mandatory.
Some States, such as Wisconsin, have passed laws to make certain
components of an animal identification program mandatory in
areas under their purview. Eventually, USDA may move toward
a requirement for mandatory premises and animal identification
for all species included in the system. If USDA does decide
to make all or parts of the NAIS mandatory, we will follow
the normal rulemaking process. The public will have the opportunity
to comment upon any proposed regulations.
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Q. Will Producers be Able to Sell Their Livestock if the Animals are not Officially Identified?
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Answer
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A. Yes, as the plan will begin as a voluntary
program. Over time, some markets may require animals to be
identified that are not identified now. Species for which
identification is currently required will continue to have
to be identified prior to entering commerce (e.g., sheep and
goats under the national scrapie eradication program). As
the program is phased in, all animals of covered species will
be encouraged to have premises identification, and eventually
individual identification, prior to sale. For animal owners
who lack facilities to apply identification devices at the
premises of birth, there will be provisions for initiating
the process at the point of sale.
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Q. Can Animals be Identified as a Group?
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Answer
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A. Yes, an animal production system can
use group/lot identification if the animal owner is able to
demonstrate to the satisfaction of State animal health officials
that, through group identification and production records,
1) traceback to all premises that have had direct contact
with a suspect animal can occur within 48 hours, and 2) the
potential for commingling does not exist. Each group will
be identified with a unique and standardized number. Verifiable
records will be required to further document premises identification
and dates of movement.
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Q. What are the Penalties for not Using the Program?
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Answer
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A. At this point, the NAIS is not fully
developed and animal owners are not yet required to comply
with any rules. When the plan is finished, market forces may
drive those involved in the livestock industry toward participation.
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Q. What are the Liability Issues of This Program for Animal Owners?
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Answer
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A. USDA’s goal for the NAIS is to
enhance animal health officials’ ability to trace and
respond to animal diseases. The key objective is to achieve
a timely traceback to minimize the detrimental effect of livestock
diseases. Accordingly, USDA and the States will only collect
and retain necessary identification data in the preharvest
production chain and through final inspection at slaughter
establishments. USDA would emphasize that the NAIS, in serving
as a repository of verifiable data, will increase the accuracy
of animal health information and will not expose producers
to unwarranted or additional liability.
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Q. What is the Timeline for Implementing This Program?
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Answer
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A. USDA’s priority in 2004 is to establish
the national premises identification system. Beginning in
August 2004, States and Tribes on a limited basis can begin
registering locations where livestock are held, sold, or commingled,
using an interim standardized premises registration system
provided by APHIS, or systems developed by themselves or others
that meet NAIS data standards. During FY 2004, APHIS is providing
close to $12 million to 29 States and Tribes through cooperative
agreements to help them implement premises identification
as well as to carry out field trials or research to test and
fine-tune identification technologies and collect animal movement
data. The President’s FY 2005 budget calls for $33 million
in funding for animal identification, and a portion of this
money would go toward establishing additional cooperative
agreements to assist States and Tribes in further implementing
and testing the system. USDA envisions that the NAIS will
continue to expand in 2006. As States and Tribes gain experience,
USDA will integrate those approaches that are most successful
into the broader system. USDA will also allow service providers
and other participants to gear up their products, programs,
and services to meet the demands of a national program.
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Q. What Government Entities Will Have Oversight of This Plan?
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Answer
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A. In keeping with the aim of the program
to help safeguard U.S. animal health through disease surveillance
and monitoring, which includes traceback to individual animals
within 48 hours, APHIS will administer the program. Further,
the plan calls for governance as a joint Federal–State
responsibility with industry input. To ensure uniformity of
operations across the United States, APHIS and individual
State animal health entities will develop and administer key
regulatory elements of the plan.
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Q. What Will be the Identification Requirements for Animals Entering the United States from Other Countries?
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Answer
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A. Live animals imported into the United
States will require identification levels equivalent to what
is required of producers in the United States for interstate
movement. USDA anticipates that the NAIS will be compatible
with exporting countries’ systems. Imported animals
will maintain their country of origin identification and will
be tracked just like domestic livestock. The country of origin
identification will be considered official in the United States,
and the animals will not need to be re–identified.
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Q. With the Phase-out of Existing Official Animal Identification Devices, What Will Happen with Brucellosis Vaccination Tags? Will They Still be Used?
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Answer
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A. Identification numbering systems defined
in the Code of Federal Regulations, such as those provided
through brucellosis vaccination tags, will remain official
through a NAIS transition period. It is likely that brucellosis
vaccination tags will be phased out gradually as individual
vaccination records are included in the database linked to
each AIN. Producers should check with a State, Federal, or
Tribal animal health authority for more information about
obtaining AINs and Group/Lot Identification Numbers for various
livestock species.
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Q. What Will Happen with the National Scrapie Eradication Program's Identification System?
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Answer
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A. In 2001, APHIS implemented a national
scrapie eradication program, which included a mandatory national
identification component for sheep and goats. It has become
apparent from producer and industry feedback that the current
sheep and goat identification system needs to be improved
in ways that will ensure compliance and improved animal tracking
capability without impeding the flow of commerce at points
of animal concentration. On August 4, 2004, APHIS posted a
request for information (RFI) on identification technologies
that could enhance sheep and goat identification, tracking,
and compliance monitoring. The identification technology will
be used to identify sheep and goats in APHIS’ National
Scrapie Eradication Program. The RFI should allow APHIS to
both make an informed decision with regard to contracts for
scrapie program identification devices and assist NAIS cooperators
in identifying and possibly acquiring various technologies
to evaluate for sheep and goats. Since USDA is working to
incorporate identification systems already in existence, such
as cattle brands and identification tags distributed as part
of the scrapie eradication program, the scrapie eradication
team is working closely with the NAIS team to ensure that
scrapie program identification meets the requirements of both
the scrapie program and the NAIS. With consistency being a
key objective of the NAIS, AIN distributed through USDA’s
national allocator will become the official numbers for use
in the scrapie eradication program. It is likely that animals
currently identified through other official plans/programs
will be "grandfathered" into the program, meaning
animal owners will phase in AINs on animals identified for
the first time after a mutually acceptable date. In addition,
USDA envisions that the current scrapie premises identification
numbers may be cross–referenced with the new national
premises identification numbers. Animal owners will still
be able to use the current premises identification number
until it is phased out over time.
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Q. What are You Doing to Ensure the Privacy of Ranchers' and Farmers' Records? Will Information Collected for the NAIS be Exempted from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?
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Answer
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A. USDA recognizes the concerns about the
confidentiality of this information and is working on options
to allay these concerns. At the same time, it is important
to keep in mind that the national information repositories
will only include information for animal and disease tracking
purposes. Proprietary production data will remain in private
databases. FOIA can be used to obtain information from a Federal
agency when that agency has custody and control of a record.
USDA is very much aware of producers’ concerns about
the confidentiality of information collected as part of the
NAIS and is taking them very seriously as officials explore
the most effective means for collecting animal identification
information. Accordingly, USDA is pursuing various options
for appropriately protecting the information in the NAIS from
public disclosure.
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Source: Factsheet Veterinary Services September 2004 APHIS
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