Equine Species Working
Group
Updated NAIS
Recommendations
Recommendation
#1: All horses are susceptible to equine
infectious diseases. Any horses that are
transported interstate, or commingled with other horses or livestock intrastate
must be identified with an official form of identification.
Recommendation
#2: Any national or
state equine identification program should be voluntary in the initial
implementation period to insure the opportunity to properly test the components
of the system, and allow sufficient time for an educational campaign on the
parameters and benefits of the program to increase participation. Provided FOIA
issues are resolved to industry satisfaction, mandatory equine identification
should not be implemented before 2010 unless events necessitate earlier
compliance.
Recommendation
#3: Horses are
livestock, and should be held to the same standards as other livestock species.
However, the USDA must recognize the unique characteristics of the equine
industry in the development of NAIS. With respect to the other species in the
NAIS, horses are different. Case in point, horses:
1.
Have
longest life expectancy of livestock species (20 –35 years).
2.
Are
generally more valuable on an individual basis.
3.
Are
transported more often and for greater distances.
4.
Participate
in internationally recognized competitions including the Olym-pics.
5.
Require
accurate identification to insure the integrity of a multi-billion dollar
racing industry with state regulated pari-mutuel wagering.
6.
Are
imported and exported on a regularly basis at significant expense.
7.
Are
at great risk of theft.
8.
And,
are in many instances already properly identified by the appropriate breed
registry or horse identification services.
Recommendation
#4: The components of a national horse
identification program which provides for horse identification, traceability
and trace-back should provide definitive benefits to equine industry that
justify the costs to stakeholders.
Recommendation
#5: In order to have the
option to have a national equine identification program that is internationally
compatible and especially with
Recommendation
#6: Horse identification data/information must be
kept confidential and exempt from current FOIA requirements including a FOIA
exemption to block data from passing among varied governmental agencies. Only approved federal and state animal health
authorities will have access to any state or federally managed database where
the NAIS information essential to the enhancement of animal disease
surveillance and monitoring is maintained.
Recommendation
#7: Definition of Equine Premises: An equine premise is an identifiable physical
location that represents a unique and describable geographic location where
horses are boarded, stabled, or kept with other horses.
Recommendation
#8: The identification of certain equine premises
is at a higher priority with respect to potential for disease transmission, and
therefore requires greater disease monitoring and surveillance. The following
list is prioritized to represent equine premises for reporting purposes,
including but not limited to:
•Ports
of Entry
•Quarantine
Facilities
•Auctions
and Sales
•Breeding
Farms
•Boarding
Facilities
•Training
Facilities
•Equine
Clinics and Hospitals
•Racetracks
•Show/Exhibition/Competition
Facilities
•Public
and Private Stables
•Rodeo
Arenas
•Fairgrounds
•National
or State Parks
•Universities
(Educational/Research Facilities/Diagnostic Laboratories)
•Ports
of Exit
•Dude
Ranches
Recommendation
#9: The premises manager is the owner or his/her
designee who is responsible for recording and reporting the identification of
horses moved onto or off of the premises; and must submit the necessary information
(premises identification, horse identification numbers, time and date of entry
and exit, and event code) to the national database in a timely basis as
designated by USDA NAIS. The premises
manager must submit the information to the national database within 24 hours of
being notified of a disease outbreak that threatens horses.
Recommendation
#10: When horses are transported interstate,
intrastate when commingled with other horses or livestock, or to premises or
events where a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) or other equine
health papers such as Coggins are required, the movement must be reported to
the appropriate USDA NAIS database(s).
Recommendation
#11: To enhance disease surveillance through a
successful identification and tracking program, standardized requirements for
Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) must be established among the
states. At the time of veterinary
inspection, any horse that has not been previously identified or assigned an
Animal Identification Number shall be identified with an official form of
identification that includes the animal identification number, any electronic
identification and a more complete description of the horse’s coat color, white
markings, any unique identifying marks including cowlicks, brands and tattoos;
and whenever possible, digital photographs.
Recommendation
#12: Those with
inquiries, recommendations or grant proposals pertaining to a national equine
identification program should be encouraged to contact to the Equine Species Working
Group for collaboration.
Recommendation
#13:
Whenever appropriate, equine identification
systems currently in use should be incorporated into the national equine
identification program, especially radio frequency identification devices
(RFID), normally microchips. Existing microchips should be incorporated into
the NAIS for equines.
This date forward, the ISO/ANSI compatible RFID
chip (11784/85, 134.2 kHz) is the recommended standard of electronic equine
identification for the purpose of disease control for the uniformity and
compatibility necessary to successfully achieve the goals of the USDA National
Animal Identification System.
The recommended implantation site for the
microchip is the nuchal ligament on the left side, in the middle third of the
neck, halfway between the ears and the withers.
Suppliers of RFID readers and scanners should
make an immediate effort to provide readers and scanners for distribution to
the
Recommendation
#14: New technologies
should be pursued and researched to provide more efficient, cost effective and
accurate methods of equine identification, i.e., Biometrics, DNA Testing, etc.
Recommendation
#15: To ensure that the
horse owners and industry stakeholders do not unduly bear the costs of the
development and implementation of a national equine identification program, the
USDA should provide adequate funding in 2005-2006 for cooperative agreements
with states and tribes that include equine field trials recommended by the
ESWG, and adequate funding in 2006-2007 for assistance to begin implementation
of the National Equine Identification Program.
Recommendation
#16: The ESWG should be
allowed to contract with a consortium of horse industry stakeholders to design,
develop and maintain an independent equine industry database for equine
data/information necessary to provide horse identification, traceability and
trace-back capabilities for the NAIS.
Recommendation #17: The buyer and seller shall
mutually be responsible to report any change of ownership of an equine to the appropriate equine registries and other databases
recording the identification of equines