GO Bill on this issue! NCBA is in way over their head on this deal!! :roll:
USDA endorses privatized ID system
September 5, 2005
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns dealt a decisive blow to R-CALF United Stockgrowers Association (R-CALF) and other opponents of a private National Animal Identification System (NAIS) last week.
During an Aug. 30 press conference, Johanns, under enormous pressure from producer groups and government officials, announced "guiding principles" for the development of a public/private partnership which will create a privatized animal movement database as part of USDA's efforts to initiate a multi-species ID program.
"We are eager to work closely with industry as they develop and maintain databases that contain animal movement information. After hearing the confidentiality concerns of producers, we envision a system that allows these databases to feed a single, privately held animal tracking repository that we can access," said Johanns. During his briefing, Johanns announced USDA will hold stakeholder meetings this fall to discuss the NAIS traceback system in greater detail.
Representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) have been pressing government officials for the past several months since announcing the development of a NAIS partnership which would allow the NCBA to administer the program in concert with private industry partners such as Microsoft. Although Johanns stopped short of endorsing a specific product, saying the agency is not favoring any one program over another, NCBA officials released a statement soon after the press conference heralding the announcement.
Mike John, NCBA president elect said, "For some time now, NCBA has led the effort to put in place a private sector, multi-species ID program for livestock. NCBA believes protection of the producer's rights and confidentiality is a top priority, and the industry is best equipped to do this. Under this private-sector system, animal health authorities will be able to receive information for appropriate animal health concerns, but the data will remain the property of the individual and managed by a nonprofit multi-species consortium to maintain confidentiality."
Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF, which has been lobbying with USDA for the development of a government controlled NAIS system, expressed his group's disappointment with last week's announcement.
"We believe USDA is headed down the wrong course by placing an important animal health matter in the hands of private for-profit organizations; this matter is consistent with the responsibilities of animal health officials," said Bullard.
Bullard vowed to continue working with USDA and Congress to alter the current path. "It concerns us greatly that USDA is looking at an organization which has significant political motives and aspirations to control the system," he said.
National Farmer's Union president Dave Frederickson was also quick to condemn the announcement saying, "I am greatly disappointed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it plans to allow private entities to collect and maintain producer information in a National Animal Identification System. Our membership has repeatedly stated its call for the database to be maintained within the public agency domain. Private control of producer information creates an inherent risk to producers that private and/or proprietary information could be divulged in a manner that could be detrimental to producers, firms and the marketplace." Frederickson also invoked the name of Congress as a means to change the decision.
U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Chair, Bob Goodlatte, R-VA, may have a different take on the matter. In a statement released just hours after the press conference, Goodlatte praised USDA's decision to move in the direction of a public/private partnership. "I applaud the Secretary for recognizing the value of including the livestock industry in its development. It is critical that we have real cooperation between the public and private sectors and I am pleased that the Secretary is moving in this direction," said Goodlatte.
Longtime proponents of a privatized system, seven members of the House Agriculture Committee, including Goodlatte, sent a letter to Johanns urging USDA to consider a private system and criticizing the agency for failing to study other countries' successful implementation of privatized systems. "I have advocated a private sector solution for our nation's animal identification challenge for some time now. Producers I talk to about animal ID, both in my district and across the nation, understand the value of implementing an ID system. At the same time, they worry about the costs and regulatory burdens of a government approach. By harnessing the innovation and efficiency of the private sector, we can achieve success quickly, inexpensively and without excessive government control," said Goodlatte.
Although full implementation of a mandatory NAIS system is not scheduled to go into effect until 2009, the move toward a privatized system could allow it to happen much sooner, according to USDA.
If the agency endorses the system proposed by NCBA, which was designed to fulfill the guidelines set out by USDA, that system is expected to be fully operational sometime next year. — John Robinson, WLJ Associate Editor
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USDA endorses privatized ID system
September 5, 2005
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns dealt a decisive blow to R-CALF United Stockgrowers Association (R-CALF) and other opponents of a private National Animal Identification System (NAIS) last week.
During an Aug. 30 press conference, Johanns, under enormous pressure from producer groups and government officials, announced "guiding principles" for the development of a public/private partnership which will create a privatized animal movement database as part of USDA's efforts to initiate a multi-species ID program.
"We are eager to work closely with industry as they develop and maintain databases that contain animal movement information. After hearing the confidentiality concerns of producers, we envision a system that allows these databases to feed a single, privately held animal tracking repository that we can access," said Johanns. During his briefing, Johanns announced USDA will hold stakeholder meetings this fall to discuss the NAIS traceback system in greater detail.
Representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) have been pressing government officials for the past several months since announcing the development of a NAIS partnership which would allow the NCBA to administer the program in concert with private industry partners such as Microsoft. Although Johanns stopped short of endorsing a specific product, saying the agency is not favoring any one program over another, NCBA officials released a statement soon after the press conference heralding the announcement.
Mike John, NCBA president elect said, "For some time now, NCBA has led the effort to put in place a private sector, multi-species ID program for livestock. NCBA believes protection of the producer's rights and confidentiality is a top priority, and the industry is best equipped to do this. Under this private-sector system, animal health authorities will be able to receive information for appropriate animal health concerns, but the data will remain the property of the individual and managed by a nonprofit multi-species consortium to maintain confidentiality."
Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF, which has been lobbying with USDA for the development of a government controlled NAIS system, expressed his group's disappointment with last week's announcement.
"We believe USDA is headed down the wrong course by placing an important animal health matter in the hands of private for-profit organizations; this matter is consistent with the responsibilities of animal health officials," said Bullard.
Bullard vowed to continue working with USDA and Congress to alter the current path. "It concerns us greatly that USDA is looking at an organization which has significant political motives and aspirations to control the system," he said.
National Farmer's Union president Dave Frederickson was also quick to condemn the announcement saying, "I am greatly disappointed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it plans to allow private entities to collect and maintain producer information in a National Animal Identification System. Our membership has repeatedly stated its call for the database to be maintained within the public agency domain. Private control of producer information creates an inherent risk to producers that private and/or proprietary information could be divulged in a manner that could be detrimental to producers, firms and the marketplace." Frederickson also invoked the name of Congress as a means to change the decision.
U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Chair, Bob Goodlatte, R-VA, may have a different take on the matter. In a statement released just hours after the press conference, Goodlatte praised USDA's decision to move in the direction of a public/private partnership. "I applaud the Secretary for recognizing the value of including the livestock industry in its development. It is critical that we have real cooperation between the public and private sectors and I am pleased that the Secretary is moving in this direction," said Goodlatte.
Longtime proponents of a privatized system, seven members of the House Agriculture Committee, including Goodlatte, sent a letter to Johanns urging USDA to consider a private system and criticizing the agency for failing to study other countries' successful implementation of privatized systems. "I have advocated a private sector solution for our nation's animal identification challenge for some time now. Producers I talk to about animal ID, both in my district and across the nation, understand the value of implementing an ID system. At the same time, they worry about the costs and regulatory burdens of a government approach. By harnessing the innovation and efficiency of the private sector, we can achieve success quickly, inexpensively and without excessive government control," said Goodlatte.
Although full implementation of a mandatory NAIS system is not scheduled to go into effect until 2009, the move toward a privatized system could allow it to happen much sooner, according to USDA.
If the agency endorses the system proposed by NCBA, which was designed to fulfill the guidelines set out by USDA, that system is expected to be fully operational sometime next year. — John Robinson, WLJ Associate Editor
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