National ID Lumbers Forward
Late last week, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) crawled ahead as USDA awarded $11.6 million to 29 different state and tribal cooperative projects for the purposes of gearing up to provide livestock producers with premises registration. Registering each premises where livestock are located is necessary to achieve USDA's goal of tracing an animal exposed with a foreign animal disease (FAD), or other List A malady back to all previous locations of residence within 48 hours.
According to USDA, states and tribes can use the funds to register premises through a standardized system provided by APHIS or through other systems that comply with NAIS data standards. Besides registering premises and establishing necessary data transfer procedures, states and tribes will also use the funds to conduct field trials and research aimed at testing and fine-tuning ID technologies and collecting animal movement data.
In the meantime, take in any gathering of producers discussing national ID and one point seems universal: Confusion reigns as folks seek answers about the NAIS system, but no one has any concrete answers because USDA has yet to provide them. Bottom line, the engine is running, but rougher than an old Johnny Popper with two plugs missing.
To learn more details on each of the funded projects, go to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais.html.
Late last week, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) crawled ahead as USDA awarded $11.6 million to 29 different state and tribal cooperative projects for the purposes of gearing up to provide livestock producers with premises registration. Registering each premises where livestock are located is necessary to achieve USDA's goal of tracing an animal exposed with a foreign animal disease (FAD), or other List A malady back to all previous locations of residence within 48 hours.
According to USDA, states and tribes can use the funds to register premises through a standardized system provided by APHIS or through other systems that comply with NAIS data standards. Besides registering premises and establishing necessary data transfer procedures, states and tribes will also use the funds to conduct field trials and research aimed at testing and fine-tuning ID technologies and collecting animal movement data.
In the meantime, take in any gathering of producers discussing national ID and one point seems universal: Confusion reigns as folks seek answers about the NAIS system, but no one has any concrete answers because USDA has yet to provide them. Bottom line, the engine is running, but rougher than an old Johnny Popper with two plugs missing.
To learn more details on each of the funded projects, go to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais.html.
