The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) has been a controversial proposal from the get go. While the program is five years old now, many in animal agriculture have yet to embrace the NAIS. Now the conference committee working on the fiscal year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill has continued funding for the program for another year.While the NAIS is set to receive $5.3 million for the new fiscal year, the North Platte Bulletin online’s George Lauby is reporting this is a “significant reduction from previous years, but does not placate opponents of the …program.” Bill Bullard, the chief executive of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF), put his organization’s view of the funding decision thusly, ‘“We’re disappointed with the decision [.]”’ The program is designed to be able to trace back an animal’s movements and contact with other animals within 48 hours in case an animal was found to have a disease like “mad cow.”
“The critics say existing livestock records, such as brands, ear tags, veterinary logs and auction barn records do a good job of tracking cattle movements.” Currently the program is voluntary, but is expected that “inevitably every livestock owner will take part.”
While the Senate had approved $14.6 million for NAIS, the House approved no funding for the program. So, the compromise comes in at $5.3 million. So far Congress approved $142 million for the program over the last five years. Yet, the USDA has only registered 35 percent of “animal premises.” There was only a three percent increase in registrations last year despite a funding level of $14.2 million.
To read the article on the funding level published in the North Platte Bulletin click here.
Posted: 10/05/09
