A
Anonymous
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The Cattle Industry Working Group Report, part of the national animal ID initiative started in 2002 as a partnership between producers, allied industry, and state and federal health officials wants everyone to start tagging and registering in their states.
The Cattle Group hopes that the identification system will follow a set of voluntary guidelines.
First, all premises that manage and/or hold cattle are to be identified through the state animal health authority to achieve a standard national premises system.
Electronic ear tags will be the technology used to individually identify cattle, said Wilson. The 15-digit code (3 digit country code or manufacture code and 12 digit animal number) imbedded in the transponder is printed on the tag. The tags will be placed in the left ear of the cattle.
Three events would trigger the need for official individual animal identification:
Change of ownership.
Interstate movement.
Multiple owners commingling their cattle, including on trucks and trailers.
Under the voluntary guidelines, when individual identification is required, the owner/seller is the person ultimately responsible for applying the official tag. Producers are encouraged to identify calves at birth or at the earliest date possible and to report birth dates to the National Animal Identification database.
When the precise date of birth is not known, use of an approximate birth date within 2 to 3 months is recommended. Because the electronic tags are small and have 15 digits, producers are encouraged to use a second visible tag as a matter of management practices.
All cattle that change ownership, move interstate, or are commingled with other producer's cattle are to have their identification and movement reported to the National Animal Identification Database. Reportable commingling includes on trucks or trailers, livestock markets, exhibitions, rodeos, joint grazing agreements, etc. The reporting of cattle movements is the sole responsibility of the receiving premises.There is not a value set up for federal land and its holding's.
Required movement events are to be reported within 24 hours or the close of the next business day in order to track all animal movements within 48 hours in the case of a national disease event. Confirmation will be available to both the seller and buyer that the reported movement has been entered into the National Animal Identification Database.
All cattle exported from the US must be identified with an official tag prior to being loaded for export. The official tag number, the premises number from where the animal was last received, and the premises number of the export facility must be reported to the national database.
All cattle imported into the US will be identified with an official individual number of the country of origin and/or official tag of the country of origin and be accompanied by a USDA/APHIS approved International Certificate of Identification which shall include a listing of the age and sex of all such cattle being imported and branded.
Veterinarians will play a key role in the cattle identification system, helping with recordkeeping, management protocol, identification requirements and reporting of animal movements. They also can be certified as a source of official tags for producers.
The cost of the tags will be minimal, said Wilson. The electronic readers will cost from $200 for a reader that you hold against the tag to $2,000 for a wireless reader with handheld computer.
"The future is up to producers. If we get 85-90% signed up, (the program) will stay voluntary. If not, it will go to a mandatory system," said Wilson. The year 2007 is the key - at that time cattle ID will be required by the government, he says.
The Cattle Group hopes that the identification system will follow a set of voluntary guidelines.
First, all premises that manage and/or hold cattle are to be identified through the state animal health authority to achieve a standard national premises system.
Electronic ear tags will be the technology used to individually identify cattle, said Wilson. The 15-digit code (3 digit country code or manufacture code and 12 digit animal number) imbedded in the transponder is printed on the tag. The tags will be placed in the left ear of the cattle.
Three events would trigger the need for official individual animal identification:
Change of ownership.
Interstate movement.
Multiple owners commingling their cattle, including on trucks and trailers.
Under the voluntary guidelines, when individual identification is required, the owner/seller is the person ultimately responsible for applying the official tag. Producers are encouraged to identify calves at birth or at the earliest date possible and to report birth dates to the National Animal Identification database.
When the precise date of birth is not known, use of an approximate birth date within 2 to 3 months is recommended. Because the electronic tags are small and have 15 digits, producers are encouraged to use a second visible tag as a matter of management practices.
All cattle that change ownership, move interstate, or are commingled with other producer's cattle are to have their identification and movement reported to the National Animal Identification Database. Reportable commingling includes on trucks or trailers, livestock markets, exhibitions, rodeos, joint grazing agreements, etc. The reporting of cattle movements is the sole responsibility of the receiving premises.There is not a value set up for federal land and its holding's.
Required movement events are to be reported within 24 hours or the close of the next business day in order to track all animal movements within 48 hours in the case of a national disease event. Confirmation will be available to both the seller and buyer that the reported movement has been entered into the National Animal Identification Database.
All cattle exported from the US must be identified with an official tag prior to being loaded for export. The official tag number, the premises number from where the animal was last received, and the premises number of the export facility must be reported to the national database.
All cattle imported into the US will be identified with an official individual number of the country of origin and/or official tag of the country of origin and be accompanied by a USDA/APHIS approved International Certificate of Identification which shall include a listing of the age and sex of all such cattle being imported and branded.
Veterinarians will play a key role in the cattle identification system, helping with recordkeeping, management protocol, identification requirements and reporting of animal movements. They also can be certified as a source of official tags for producers.
The cost of the tags will be minimal, said Wilson. The electronic readers will cost from $200 for a reader that you hold against the tag to $2,000 for a wireless reader with handheld computer.
"The future is up to producers. If we get 85-90% signed up, (the program) will stay voluntary. If not, it will go to a mandatory system," said Wilson. The year 2007 is the key - at that time cattle ID will be required by the government, he says.
