Texan
Well-known member
I stole this off another site. Wish I could say it was mine, though. Pretty good commentary on the pitiful progress so far on the ID issue. Typical of the federal government throwing money at a problem. You really gotta love the following quote: "The result has been closely akin to sending 100 schoolkids into the playground to play a game but they are not told what game." Hard to believe some of us also want the feds to be in charge of M-COOL!
THE NATIONAL ID FIASCO
AMI recently called on USDA and Congress to mandate national ID for all cattle in the U.S. herd with due dispatch. The importance of a mandatory ID program is encapsulated in the aging controversy that has held up reopening the Japanese border for months on end, resulting in large losses to both the processing industry and the cattle feeding sector. Timing is critical.
USDA has responded with an $18 million dollar pilot program that has proven to be a disaster. USDA awarded the money in grants to several states without providing the infrastructure or model and the predictable has occurred. Many different programs are underway with many different constituencies and interests to advance -- none of which will satisfy the critical need of traceback or cost efficiency.
One accomplishment of the USDA action has been to polarize the national ID effort to the extent the next try will be much more difficult to advance because of all the various interest groups. The result has been closely akin to sending 100 schoolkids into the playground to play a game but they are not told what game. Some of these interest groups include:
The Tag Manufacturers
The tag manufacturers and database managers want to be hired to use their ID systems and databases. They regard identification standards as proprietary and database designs as patentable. Any intellectual property lawyer worth their salt can easily defeat these claims. There is nothing novel about identifying an animal with a number and saving important description and production information in a database.
The States
States are anxious to host the premise database and they see the potential for generating fees both originally and ongoing. The Farm Service Agency has already gone a long ways towards identifying premises with their owners and operators and there is no need for states to get involved and set different standards in each state then leave the national database administrator to sort out and reconcile these differences.
The Bureaucrats
They may not know how to design the database or ID collection systems but they do understand the importance of maintaining control over the information once it is collected and stored. Watching the various possible agencies vie for control is a world of its own.
The Producers
The producer base now has been given the time to segment and create special interest lobbies. Some western land operators, leasing federal land, complain of information that could be used by the government and environmentalist to trouble grazing programs on federal leases. Small cow/calf operations, with less than 30 cows, representing about half the national herd, do not want ID because they fear the IRS might use the records to discover they have not been paying taxes on the sales of small lots of cattle.
The Associations
Every association has a special committee or subcommittee working on national ID. The results are as varied as the organizations and the scope and direction and timetable has become muddled in a political and logical quagmire.
Much of the difficulty surrounding the national ID project is caused because the parties deliberating are unfamiliar with the technologies. A model ID system can be built and implemented probably for the $18 million dollars the USDA has already thrown away. The internet provides the connectivity necessary for recording the daily transactions required for the DataStore. The Governing Board of the national ID program will set the rules and regulations and be balanced between government and industry. Already legislation is being drafted to protect privacy rights.
Recently, 10 million salmon in the Columbia River were tagged with RFID and a record is maintained on each one showing age, birth, movements and more. The entire project is run with 5 people and a modest budget to build the datastore.
The cost benefits of a mandatory ID program are enormous, paying back the initial investment every year in spades. Producers can benefit from production records that will improve productivity. Mandatory price reporting becomes a simple database query. Financial institutions can be assured of clear title. Packers can source verify which will certainly earn more customers and result in increased beef consumption. The failure of the industry on this critical issue is a disgrace.
THE NATIONAL ID FIASCO
AMI recently called on USDA and Congress to mandate national ID for all cattle in the U.S. herd with due dispatch. The importance of a mandatory ID program is encapsulated in the aging controversy that has held up reopening the Japanese border for months on end, resulting in large losses to both the processing industry and the cattle feeding sector. Timing is critical.
USDA has responded with an $18 million dollar pilot program that has proven to be a disaster. USDA awarded the money in grants to several states without providing the infrastructure or model and the predictable has occurred. Many different programs are underway with many different constituencies and interests to advance -- none of which will satisfy the critical need of traceback or cost efficiency.
One accomplishment of the USDA action has been to polarize the national ID effort to the extent the next try will be much more difficult to advance because of all the various interest groups. The result has been closely akin to sending 100 schoolkids into the playground to play a game but they are not told what game. Some of these interest groups include:
The Tag Manufacturers
The tag manufacturers and database managers want to be hired to use their ID systems and databases. They regard identification standards as proprietary and database designs as patentable. Any intellectual property lawyer worth their salt can easily defeat these claims. There is nothing novel about identifying an animal with a number and saving important description and production information in a database.
The States
States are anxious to host the premise database and they see the potential for generating fees both originally and ongoing. The Farm Service Agency has already gone a long ways towards identifying premises with their owners and operators and there is no need for states to get involved and set different standards in each state then leave the national database administrator to sort out and reconcile these differences.
The Bureaucrats
They may not know how to design the database or ID collection systems but they do understand the importance of maintaining control over the information once it is collected and stored. Watching the various possible agencies vie for control is a world of its own.
The Producers
The producer base now has been given the time to segment and create special interest lobbies. Some western land operators, leasing federal land, complain of information that could be used by the government and environmentalist to trouble grazing programs on federal leases. Small cow/calf operations, with less than 30 cows, representing about half the national herd, do not want ID because they fear the IRS might use the records to discover they have not been paying taxes on the sales of small lots of cattle.
The Associations
Every association has a special committee or subcommittee working on national ID. The results are as varied as the organizations and the scope and direction and timetable has become muddled in a political and logical quagmire.
Much of the difficulty surrounding the national ID project is caused because the parties deliberating are unfamiliar with the technologies. A model ID system can be built and implemented probably for the $18 million dollars the USDA has already thrown away. The internet provides the connectivity necessary for recording the daily transactions required for the DataStore. The Governing Board of the national ID program will set the rules and regulations and be balanced between government and industry. Already legislation is being drafted to protect privacy rights.
Recently, 10 million salmon in the Columbia River were tagged with RFID and a record is maintained on each one showing age, birth, movements and more. The entire project is run with 5 people and a modest budget to build the datastore.
The cost benefits of a mandatory ID program are enormous, paying back the initial investment every year in spades. Producers can benefit from production records that will improve productivity. Mandatory price reporting becomes a simple database query. Financial institutions can be assured of clear title. Packers can source verify which will certainly earn more customers and result in increased beef consumption. The failure of the industry on this critical issue is a disgrace.
