OldDog/NewTricks
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Government, Industry Inch Toward Animal ID System
Today 6/29/2006 9:48:00 AM
Government, Industry Inch Toward Animal ID System
Although some significant, albeit small, steps have been taken toward implementing the national animal identification system (NAIS), lawmakers remain skeptical about USDA's timeline for achieving 100 percent producer participation by 2009 Most recently, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved an amended version of the House-passed 2007 agriculture appropriations bill that would require USDA to report to the Government Accountability Office how much money the department has spent since 2003 on an animal ID program. At press time, the full Senate Appropriations Committee was working on the bill.
Concerned about the amount of money already spent on the system, lawmakers have not come close to fully funding NAIS.
"The price tag for the national ID system could run as high as $100 million each year, but last year Congress put up only one-third of that and is not inclined to do much, if any, better this year," said Kelli Ludlum, AFBF director of congressional relations. "If the government wants and expects producers to participate in this voluntary program, adequate funding is a must.
"At the same time, USDA must justify progress with the funds it's been given," she said.
Despite tepid-at-best support from Capitol Hill, USDA in April announced an NAIS plan that calls for the voluntary system to be operational by 2007 and in use by all producers by 2009.
While introducing the plan, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said that several implementation milestones have already been achieved, including the development of premises registration in each state and the creation of guidelines for distributing animal ID numbers.
The largest hurdle, yet-to-be-cleared, is the creation of the animal ID database.
With some prodding from producers, USDA has accepted that a partnership between the government and the livestock industry is the most effective way to manage and maintain the database. This approach is consistent with AFBF policy.
The United States Animal Identification Organization, a consortium of industry representatives organized earlier this year, is a critical element of that partnership.
USAIO is overseeing the creation of a producer-controlled database for tracking animals that will allow state and federal animal health officials access to the information only for necessary animal health surveillance.
The American Farm Bureau Federation is represented on the group's board of directors by Don Shawcroft, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau.
Charles Miller, a Kentucky cattleman and chairman of the USAIO board of directors, said the group's collaboration with the government has been very constructive.
"USDA remains committed to a producer-led solution, while USAIO brings something very important to the animal ID discussionâ€"a simple way for government to access the data it needs while producers continue to own and protect their business information," he said.
In initial tests, the organization's database, which will be available for all livestock, showed it could handle a very high volume of information and could be modified to incorporate additional features and functions without overhauling the entire system.
This summer the group plans to move the database into the first implementation phase, which will involve about a dozen high-volume users. In this stage, the group is aiming for about 1 million animal movements and transactions.
In the second phase, the volume of movements and transactions will be boosted to about 250,000 per month and will involve more users. USAIO hopes that this volume of activity and number of users will show the system is ready to be opened up to as many participants as possible.
USAIO prices its animal movement database at about 30 cents per head for the life of an animal, regardless of the number of transactions.
That number does not include identification tags or other on-farm costs, which will remain an obstacle.
In addition to resolving funding issues, Ludlum said that the success of the database hinges on lawmakers' willingness to address concerns about safeguarding producer privacy, clarifying which state and federal agencies will have access to the data and ensuring that producers will not be held liable for meat merchandisers' food safety problems.
Source: Farm Bureau News
Today 6/29/2006 9:48:00 AM
Government, Industry Inch Toward Animal ID System
Although some significant, albeit small, steps have been taken toward implementing the national animal identification system (NAIS), lawmakers remain skeptical about USDA's timeline for achieving 100 percent producer participation by 2009 Most recently, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved an amended version of the House-passed 2007 agriculture appropriations bill that would require USDA to report to the Government Accountability Office how much money the department has spent since 2003 on an animal ID program. At press time, the full Senate Appropriations Committee was working on the bill.
Concerned about the amount of money already spent on the system, lawmakers have not come close to fully funding NAIS.
"The price tag for the national ID system could run as high as $100 million each year, but last year Congress put up only one-third of that and is not inclined to do much, if any, better this year," said Kelli Ludlum, AFBF director of congressional relations. "If the government wants and expects producers to participate in this voluntary program, adequate funding is a must.
"At the same time, USDA must justify progress with the funds it's been given," she said.
Despite tepid-at-best support from Capitol Hill, USDA in April announced an NAIS plan that calls for the voluntary system to be operational by 2007 and in use by all producers by 2009.
While introducing the plan, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said that several implementation milestones have already been achieved, including the development of premises registration in each state and the creation of guidelines for distributing animal ID numbers.
The largest hurdle, yet-to-be-cleared, is the creation of the animal ID database.
With some prodding from producers, USDA has accepted that a partnership between the government and the livestock industry is the most effective way to manage and maintain the database. This approach is consistent with AFBF policy.
The United States Animal Identification Organization, a consortium of industry representatives organized earlier this year, is a critical element of that partnership.
USAIO is overseeing the creation of a producer-controlled database for tracking animals that will allow state and federal animal health officials access to the information only for necessary animal health surveillance.
The American Farm Bureau Federation is represented on the group's board of directors by Don Shawcroft, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau.
Charles Miller, a Kentucky cattleman and chairman of the USAIO board of directors, said the group's collaboration with the government has been very constructive.
"USDA remains committed to a producer-led solution, while USAIO brings something very important to the animal ID discussionâ€"a simple way for government to access the data it needs while producers continue to own and protect their business information," he said.
In initial tests, the organization's database, which will be available for all livestock, showed it could handle a very high volume of information and could be modified to incorporate additional features and functions without overhauling the entire system.
This summer the group plans to move the database into the first implementation phase, which will involve about a dozen high-volume users. In this stage, the group is aiming for about 1 million animal movements and transactions.
In the second phase, the volume of movements and transactions will be boosted to about 250,000 per month and will involve more users. USAIO hopes that this volume of activity and number of users will show the system is ready to be opened up to as many participants as possible.
USAIO prices its animal movement database at about 30 cents per head for the life of an animal, regardless of the number of transactions.
That number does not include identification tags or other on-farm costs, which will remain an obstacle.
In addition to resolving funding issues, Ludlum said that the success of the database hinges on lawmakers' willingness to address concerns about safeguarding producer privacy, clarifying which state and federal agencies will have access to the data and ensuring that producers will not be held liable for meat merchandisers' food safety problems.
Source: Farm Bureau News
