| USCA (January 8, 2009) - On December 22, 2008 USDA canceled Veterinary Services (VS) Memorandum No. 575.19 dated September 22, 2008 through the reissuance of a revised VS Memorandum No. 575.19 dated December 22, 2008. The purpose of this memorandum is to define the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Veterinary Services (VS) policy for the use of premises identification numbers (PIN) in the administration of animal disease program activities administered by USDA personnel. To view both memorandums go to www.uscattlemens.org.
Because of concerns raised by the September 22 memorandum, USDA distributed the new memorandum to state veterinarians and industry groups. USDA also held a conference call on December 23 with stakeholders, which USCA participated in, to give an overview of the memorandum and answer any questions concerning the new version of the memo.
The December 22 memorandum clarifies that the Code of Federal Regulations provides two PIN formats, the state PIN and standardized PIN. Since 2004, USDA has been working to establish the standardized PIN as a unified format for location identifiers. The overall lack of standardization of data elements and integration with federally administered animal health data systems has been one of the most significant challenges in conducting successful animal trace back and controlling animal disease.
The December 22, 2008 memorandum also states that APHIS is considering rulemaking to establish the standardized PIN as the only PIN format. The process will provide for public comment on the proposed changes to the Code of Federal Regulations.
USCA opposes mandatory NAIS.
NAIS was introduced as a modern, streamlined information system that helps producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal disease events in the United States. Initially, USDA's intent was to implement the program as mandatory, requiring all animals to be tagged and tracked in a national database. The program was unduly burdensome and was initially directed towards privatization of a single tracking database, which would have cost producers millions of dollars and would have become a perpetual funding source for providers of the system. Since then, the U.S. Cattlemen's Association has influenced several positive changes in NAIS, predominantly in guiding the program to a voluntary status and providing input for how that voluntary system will work. The U.S. Cattlemen's Association is committed to ensuring that the United States cattle industry has a viable, cost effective animal disease control program that is workable for all segments of the industry.
It is common knowledge that USDA-APHIS-VS have had the authority for years to use location identifiers and official animal identification to eradicate and mitigate animal disease outbreaks. The key to this memorandum is that it is policy for the use of premises identification numbers in the administration of animal disease program activities. Producers will not be involuntarily assigned a PIN if they are not involved in the administration of an animal disease program activity. The most current memorandum also discusses the procedure for producers to remove their personal information from the NAIS premises database.
U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Animal Identification Committee members have been participating in the animal identification debate since before USCA was formed. USCA has continued to monitor the evolution of animal ID and has worked to represent cattle producers by helping guide and shape the dynamics of any animal identification program in this country. |
