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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Tuesday asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for an investigation of USDA's plans for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). After two years, USDA has yet to implement an animal ID program and has failed to inform producers and state governments about the costs the system will impose on them, Senator Harkin said in a release. The goal of the NAIS is rapid animal traceback that can help officials contain and eradicate animal diseases livestock and poultry. Such a system could help in fighting U.S. outbreaks of avian flu, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) for example. "After two years of discussions, USDA has no clear plan for moving forward with a workable system," Senator Harkin said. "Producers are getting upset that they still don't know how much the system will cost them and who will run it," Senator Harkin said.
"USDA has spent many hours and a lot of money developing an animal tracking database. Then, without seeking needed input from all sectors of the livestock and poultry industry, USDA scrapped the original plan and now wants the database to be kept by a private entity." In April, USDA issued a draft strategic plan outlining the time-frame for having the national animal identification system fully operational in the United States. By January 2008, USDA is to require all premises (farms with livestock or poultry) and individual animals or groups of animals to be identified and registered in the system. Tracking the transportation and movement of animals will become mandatory by January 2009. |
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