American Horse Council Press Release
Contact: NLamoureux@horsecouncil.org
USDA Announces Support of a Private Tracking
Database for National ID System
On August 30,
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced USDA’s support
for development of a public/private partnership to enable the private sector to
maintain the animal tracking database as part of the National Animal
Identification System (NAIS). Prior to
this announcement, USDA had proposed that it would maintain the animal movement
information.
A number of
livestock industry groups have been supporting the concept of a private
database to be maintained by the livestock sectors themselves. This concept has also gained the support of
Congressman Bob Goodelatte (R-VA), Chairman of the
House Agriculture Committee, and Congressman Robin Hayes (R-NC), Chairman of
the Livestock and Horticulture Subcommittee.
Both have supported a privately-owned and operated tracing system for
some time.
While
recognizing that there were a number of concepts being discussed in the private
sector about how a private database should work and be funded, the Secretary
made it clear that “USDA is not favoring any one of them over the other.” USDA has scheduled a public stakeholder
meeting for October 12 in
USDA said that
after this meeting it will only play an “advisory role” to ensure that the
government needs are met in the tracking system. Regarding the development of the private
tracking database, the Secretary said “we will be looking to industry to come
together to drive this leg of the journey.”
USDA expects
that the group developing the movement tracking data system will have to
recommend how the system will be funded, a critical
determination. The original plan for the
NAIS was to have the livestock industry and government share costs. USDA would have funded infrastructure costs,
while industry would fund the cost of identification.
In making the
announcement, Secretary Johanns said that the
national identification system “is one of the most important infrastructure
initiatives in animal agriculture today.
Our goal is to work hand-in-hand with producers and the states to
enhance our collective ability to quickly identify animals that may be of
concern in a disease outbreak. When the
system is fully implemented, we expect to be able to identify all potentially
affected animals and premises within 48 hours of a disease
detection.”
The Secretary
reiterated the USDA’s guiding principles for the NAIS. They include: (1) it must allow tracking of
animals within 48 hours without unnecessary burden on producers and other
stakeholders; (2) it must not unduly increase the size and role of the
government; (3) it must be able to utilize existing technologies and new
technologies, as they are developed; and (4) animal movement data should be
maintained in a private system that can be accessed when necessary by state and
federal authorities.
“It is important
for all in the horse industry to pay close attention to the initiation of each
of the components of the NAIS, including the registration of premises with the
states, which has already begun, the identification of animals, and the
tracking system,” said