In February of 2010, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that USDA was ending the voluntary National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which only had a 40% participation rate. The new regulations are expected to be implemented in 2013. For more information on Animal Identification, click here to visit the National Agricultural Law Center's Reading Room on the subject.
In 2009, "more than 19 million of the nation's beef cows and 9 million dairy cows crossed state lines." Under the new regulations, states "will have authority to decide how to track livestock moving within their own borders, but they will be accountable to the federal government for the system they choose" and accountability "standards would be created to make sure state systems are working." The new regulations would also require animals to have a certificate of health from a veterinarian.
Animal identification tags "could come from three places: the National Uniform Ear Tagging System utilized by programs such as brucellosis prevention; the 15-digit international standard numbering system; or a numbering system compatible with the USDA's National Scrapie Eradication Program for sheep and goats."
USDA is "holding a series of public meetings on the proposed regulations and plans to have a draft ready by April 2011."
To read the Associated Press story, click here.
Posted: 08/10/2010
