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By Mike Barnett
Editor
Texas Farm Bureau's Jon Johnson can recall the days of his youth when his dad, relying strictly on memory, could recall what calf belonged to what cow and when that calf was born.
"It always fascinated me when he'd say, `that calf came from so and so and was born last May, '" he said.
Too bad, Johnson said, that those days of possibly correct—but haphazard record keeping—will soon become relics of the past.
"In the future, your memory...no matter how good it is...is not going to be good enough," Johnson, associate director of commodity and regulatory activities, said. "You're going to have to keep records that can be verified."
Johnson is giving producers a gentle reminder that a national identification program is coming down the road, and they could do well by starting to prepare for it. The issue was once again brought to the forefront by an announcement by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on May 5 that gives a January, 2009 implementation date for a national I.D. system. He also called for the industry to provide feedback on the USDA proposal. The document can be found on the USDA NAIS (National Animal Identification System) website at www.usda.gov/nais. It will also be published in the Federal Register.
"The documents we're releasing today offer a draft plan to move the public discussion forward on this important initiative," Johanns said. "We created these documents with guidance from the NAIS advisory committee and with a great deal of input from producers. We're proposing answers to some of the key questions about how we envision this system moving forward. Now, I'm eager to hear from farmers and ranchers so we can develop a final plan."
The documents lay out in more detail projected time lines and potential avenues to achieve national animal identification milestones. For example, the documents propose requiring stakeholders to identify premises and animals according to NAIS standards by January 2008. Requiring full recording of defined animal movements is proposed by January 2009.
Johanns said the Federal Register notice acknowledges some of the outstanding concerns of stakeholders and frames questions for which USDA will be seeking answers as it moves forward with the program.
Many of those questions pertain to funding for the system, confidentiality of data in the system and flexibility of the system.
Johnson acknowledges USDA has a tough, uphill climb in getting a comprehensive NAIS program to work.
"But it can be done," he said. "And it will be done. Now USDA is saying 2009. That's a firm figure now. Two years from now it may move again. We just don't know how all of this will come together. But it needs to come together smoothly so it can be implemented easily, economically and not interrupt the flow of livestock sales."
Johnson said state agricultural organizations and individuals are working on a pilot program in Texas that will hopefully help build NAIS into a workable system.
"In Texas, we have selected the data management company that will maintain all of the data. We are looking to kick this thing off somewhere around the first of June," he said of the Lone Star State's pilot program. "The service providers are out there, we've got three of the auction barns tied down to track the cattle and install equipment for tracking cattle. We're trying to confirm another. Producers haven't been selected yet but have a lot of volunteers who want to participate in the program. When the pilot projects are completed, then I think we'll know better where to emphasize the areas that need work."
Johnson reminded producers the only reason for a national livestock identification program is the ability to trace an animal back to the point of origin and all stops in-between within 48 hours in case of a disease outbreak. He used a simulated foot and mouth scenario that the cattle industry in Texas conducted a couple of years ago to illustrate the importance of fast action.
"All we did…it was a simulation… we tracked the animals for 24 hours that originated from the Edinburg auction," he said. "And in that 24-hour period, the cattle that went through the Edinburg auction market had gone to 17 different states. As the Animal Health Commission says, 'the cattle have wheels under them and can travel very fast.' And unless you can trace that movement to be able to show that exposure to the animals beyond the infected animals, then you're going to have the same problem they had in England," Johnson said, referring to the foot and mouth outbreak that devastated Great Britain's livestock industry.
Texas producers can now register for a premise identification number with the Texas Animal Health Commission. Premises information will reside on a database, managed by each state and accessible only by animal health officials. Premises identification numbers are now available by calling the TAHC's headquarters in Austin at 1-800-550-8242; or register online through the TAHC's web page at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us.
Still time to submit comments
Want to comment on USDA's questions about NAIS? Before June 6, send an original and three copies of postal or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. 050-15-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the internet, an easy link to the NAIS docket and comment will be available on the NAIS home page at www.usda.gov/nais.
