General_Information

New Mexico Livestock Board

Back to Home
Back to New Mexico Animal Identification Program

New Mexico Animal Identification Program
Premises Identification	Animal Identification
Premises Registration in NM	Animal Identification Pilot Projects in NM

General Information
The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) - currently being implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a voluntary basis - is intended to identify animals and poultry and record their movements over the course of their lifespan. The single goal of the NAIS is disease traceback, thus stopping the spread of a detected animal disease as quickly as possible. When fully operational, it will allow animal tracing to be completed within 48 hours of a disease detection, ensuring rapid containment of the disease. The NAIS is a voluntary State-Federal-Industry partnership, and can provide these benefits: Protect U.S. livestock and poultry from disease spread Maintain consumer confidence in our food supply Retain or increase access to domestic and foreign markets Step one to participation in the NAIS is premises registration. Premises registration has two primary benefits: Identifies the location of each livestock enterprise Provide contact information for the managers of each livestock enterprise Premises registration ensures that state and federal animal health officials can locate each livestock enterprise in the event of an animal health or other livestock emergency and ensures that producers can be notified of any event that might impact their area or species of animals. Although the program is voluntary at the national level, some animal activities may require premises registration, including: Participation in certain marketing alliances. Participation in certain State and Federal disease control programs Export of animals to some other states Purchase of USDA official 840-coded individual ID tag Click here for information on the NAIS Implementation Plan. The New Mexico Livestock Identification and Tracking Program, article by Ron Parker, PhD, New Mexico Livestock Board. "The New Mexico Livestock Identification and Tracking System is the state's effort to provide a system for tracing cattle forward and backward through the production and marketing systems. Such a system is essential to the rapid and complete containment of any infections animal disease, and is a critical link in the industries efforts to provide a wholesome, reliable, and secure food resource. As livestock producers depend more and more on both national and global markets, it is essential that the industry meet the movement and export requirements of live and processed products." To read the complete article, click here. The article includes answers to the following questions: What are the standards under which the plan was developed? Who will administer the program? Is the program mandatory? What must a livestock producer do to participate in the program? How do I obtain a premises registration number? What if I own or manage multiple operations in different locations? Why isn't it acceptable to simply use registered ownership brands? Will ownership brands still be required in New Mexico? Where will my records be kept, and who can access them? What forms of identification will be used? What forms of identification will be used? Who is responsible for applying identification tags to animals and when? How and where does a producer obtain tags? Must I purchase an electronic reader or other equipment to participate? Who will record movement of animals? Can private enterprises report movement of animals? Can I remove official tags from purchased animals? What if animals loose their official identification tags or the tag becomes unreadable? Are cattle the only species covered under the program? Are there provisions for movement of groups or lots of animals under one identification number? Who is responsible for tracking animals that cross state lines?
For additional help and information, click nm.livestock@state.nm.us 300 San Mateo NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Voice: (505) 841-6161 Fax: (505) 841-6160 ©2005 New Mexico Livestock Board All rights reserved