USDA Pledges Livestock ID Program To Remain Voluntary
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The debate on whether or not the national livestock identification and tracking program will eventually become mandatory is over now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is pledging it will be a permanently voluntary system, Undersecretary Bruce Knight said Wednesday.
Knight said livestock sector concerns over a mandatory National Animal Identification System has only slowed down progress and the USDA is in a hurry to meet self-imposed deadlines.
The goal of the massive effort to eventually be able to track any animal to its source in a 48-hour time frame in the event of disease outbreak is on track, Knight told reporters.
The first deadline is January, 2007, when USDA is trying to get 25% of all livestock-producing premises registered in data-bases that the federal government could access in the event of a disease outbreak.
So far, 332,032 premises out of 1.4 million have been registered, according to USDA data. That is about 24% and it means USDA has a "fighting chance" of meeting its January goal.
USDA hopes to have 70% of premises and 40% of livestock registered by January 2008. By January 2009, USDA wants 100% of all premises registered, 100% of all newborn animals identified and 60% of all animals under a year old documented.
The 100% goal laid out by USDA might not be attainable, Knight said, because of the decision to keep the program voluntary, but he stressed that will not hamper the government's ultimate goal.
Even though 100% premise registration may not be possible, Knight said, "we do believe by 2009 we can have a critical mass of participation out there of premises as well as livestock in the event of a disease outbreak."
"We're going to make this successful as a voluntary program," Knight said. "The key thing here is to have a system that will achieve our objectives of traceability in 48 hours."
To make that happen, though, Knight and the USDA will have to convince producers and Congress members that have raised concerns over the program.
Knight said he has already met with Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., an outspoken critic of USDA's livestock identification program. Peterson is expected to take over as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in January now that Democrats have taken control of Congress. Knight said he would be happy to testify if Peterson holds hearings on the issue.
But USDA also has to convince livestock producers, many of whom are worried about submitting details of their herds into databases that the federal government has access to.
The USDA, in a 65-page user guide on the National Animal Identification System released Wednesday, lays out what it considers adequate protection of the data it is collecting.
Information, the document says, can be entered into databases maintained by local states or private companies. Federal officials will only be able to access the data "to respond to an animal health emergency," according to the user guide. "Federal law protects individuals' private information and confidential business information from public disclosure."
Source: Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; [email protected]
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The debate on whether or not the national livestock identification and tracking program will eventually become mandatory is over now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is pledging it will be a permanently voluntary system, Undersecretary Bruce Knight said Wednesday.
Knight said livestock sector concerns over a mandatory National Animal Identification System has only slowed down progress and the USDA is in a hurry to meet self-imposed deadlines.
The goal of the massive effort to eventually be able to track any animal to its source in a 48-hour time frame in the event of disease outbreak is on track, Knight told reporters.
The first deadline is January, 2007, when USDA is trying to get 25% of all livestock-producing premises registered in data-bases that the federal government could access in the event of a disease outbreak.
So far, 332,032 premises out of 1.4 million have been registered, according to USDA data. That is about 24% and it means USDA has a "fighting chance" of meeting its January goal.
USDA hopes to have 70% of premises and 40% of livestock registered by January 2008. By January 2009, USDA wants 100% of all premises registered, 100% of all newborn animals identified and 60% of all animals under a year old documented.
The 100% goal laid out by USDA might not be attainable, Knight said, because of the decision to keep the program voluntary, but he stressed that will not hamper the government's ultimate goal.
Even though 100% premise registration may not be possible, Knight said, "we do believe by 2009 we can have a critical mass of participation out there of premises as well as livestock in the event of a disease outbreak."
"We're going to make this successful as a voluntary program," Knight said. "The key thing here is to have a system that will achieve our objectives of traceability in 48 hours."
To make that happen, though, Knight and the USDA will have to convince producers and Congress members that have raised concerns over the program.
Knight said he has already met with Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., an outspoken critic of USDA's livestock identification program. Peterson is expected to take over as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in January now that Democrats have taken control of Congress. Knight said he would be happy to testify if Peterson holds hearings on the issue.
But USDA also has to convince livestock producers, many of whom are worried about submitting details of their herds into databases that the federal government has access to.
The USDA, in a 65-page user guide on the National Animal Identification System released Wednesday, lays out what it considers adequate protection of the data it is collecting.
Information, the document says, can be entered into databases maintained by local states or private companies. Federal officials will only be able to access the data "to respond to an animal health emergency," according to the user guide. "Federal law protects individuals' private information and confidential business information from public disclosure."
Source: Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; [email protected]