MOFB’s “Cut to the Chase” : The Evolution of National Animal Identification System

After months of work the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a revised plan for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). It’s been a long time coming, but the new draft User Guide represents a substantial change in the Department’s vision for a nationwide program. From the beginning, officials have said the NAIS would evolve, and will continue to evolve, based on the input of livestock and poultry producers, agricultural organizations like Farm Bureau, and other stakeholders.

The new draft User Guide puts in black-and-white what USDA officials have been saying for the past few months: the NAIS is voluntary and will remain voluntary at the national level. As Deputy Agriculture Secretary Conner told a crowd in Kansas City, "This is ‘voluntary’ with a capital "V", not a currently voluntary, then maybe a mandatory system. This is a permanently voluntary system at the federal level." It should be noted, however, that individual states still have the authority to require participation in certain aspects of the program if they so choose.

It also replaces all previously released plans, such as the 2005 Draft Strategic Plan and last year’s "Strategies for the Implementation of NAIS," better explains how the program will be implemented through the state-federal-industry partnership, and describes the optional levels of participation for producers beginning with premises registration.

The NAIS and its details may have changed, but its purpose remains the same: to bridge the gaps in existing disease control programs and put in place a system that will better enable animal health officials to respond to and mitigate disease outbreaks.

Some have welcomed USDA’s new vision and the level of transparency they have shown in recent months. Others have criticized them for not sticking to the original draft plan or for not scrapping the NAIS altogether.

At the recent Missouri Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, farmer and rancher voting delegates discussed and debated the pros and cons of the NAIS and adopted policy in support of a voluntary program. They also reaffirmed their concerns about cost, confidentiality and liability.

Whether you have a small or large operation or somewhere in between, take it upon yourself to learn the facts by reading the new draft User Guide. Better yet, after reading it share your views with USDA. The document and instructions on how to submit comments may be found on the Internet at www.usda.gov/nais.

Feedback provided to USDA will be considered as changes are made to the new draft User Guide. Will your comments be among them?

(Garrett Hawkins, of Jefferson City, is the director of national legislative programs for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)