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:
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.
Information Articles
Summary:
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?
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