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Protecting American
animal agriculture by safeguarding animal health is vital to the wellbeing
of
all U. S. citizens. It promotes human health; provides wholesome,
reliable, and secure food
resources; mitigates national economic
threats; and enhances a sustainable environment.
Essential to achieving
this goal is an efficient and effective animal identification
program.
Building upon previously established and successful animal
health and animal identification
programs involving many animal
industries, an industry-state-federal partnership, aided by the
National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA),
was formed in 2002 to more uniformly
coordinate a national animal
identification plan. This resulting plan, requested by the United
States Animal Health Association
(USAHA) and facilitated by USDA’s Animal
and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), was formulated
in 2003 for presentation at the October, 2003
annual meeting of the
USAHA. More than 100 animal industry and state-federal
government
professionals representing more than 70 allied
associations/organizations collectively assessed
and suggested workable
improvements to the plan to meet future U. S. animal
identification
needs.
Fundamental to controlling any disease
threat, foreign or domestic, to the nation’s animal
resources is to
have a system that can identify individual animals or groups, the premises
where
they are located, and the date of entry to that premises.
Further, in order to achieve optimal
success in controlling or
eradicating an animal health threat, the ability to retrieve
that
information within 48 hours of confirmation of a disease outbreak
and to implement intervention
strategies is necessary. The USAIP is
focused on utilizing state-of-the-art national and
international
standards with the best available and practical technologies. It is
dynamic and
flexible, and will incorporate new and proven technologies
as they become available. States’
needs in implementing animal
identification will receive priority within the uniformity provided
by
federal oversight.
The USAIP currently supports the following
species and/or industries: bison, beef cattle, dairy
cattle, swine,
sheep, goats, camelids (alpacas and llamas), horses, cervids (deer and
elk),
poultry (eight species including game birds), and aquaculture
(eleven species). Implementation
will be in three phases: Phase I
involves premises identification; Phase II involves individual
or
group/lot identification for interstate and intrastate commerce; and
Phase III involves retrofitting
remaining processing plants and markets
and other industry segments with appropriate
technology that will
enhance our ability to track animals throughout the livestock
marketing
chain to protect and improve the health of the national herd.
Initial implementation will focus on
the cattle, swine, and small
ruminant industries. In transition, the USAIP recommends that:
all
states have a premises identification system in place by July, 2004;
unique,
individual or group/lot numbers be available for issuance by
February, 2005;
all cattle, swine, and small ruminants possess
individual or group/lot identification for
interstate movement by July,
2005;
all animals of the remaining species/industries identified above
be in similar
compliance by July, 2006.
These standards will
apply to all animals within the represented industries regardless of
their
intended use as seedstock, commercial, pets or other personal
uses.
It is well acknowledged that costs associated with the USAIP
will be substantial and that a
public/private funding plan is
justified. Significant state and federal costs will be incurred
in
overseeing, maintaining, updating, and improving necessary
infrastructure. Continued efforts
will be required to seek federal and
state financial support for this integral component of
safeguarding
animal health in protecting American animal agriculture.
Go Here for Current Work Plan Draft (74 pages -
pdf) |