USDA Proposes New Rule for Animal ID

Having dropped the plans for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), USDA is back again for Round Two. The agency has proposed a rule that would require livestock producers, related businesses, and state agencies to incur significant expense tracking animals that cross state lines – all for the benefit of large Agribusiness.

The Period for Public Comment has Ended.

Your comments needed today!

Having dropped the plans for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), USDA is back again for Round Two. The agency has proposed a rule that would require livestock producers, related businesses, and state agencies to incur significant expense tracking animals that cross state lines – all for the benefit of large Agribusiness.

Animal Traceability—A Solution in Search of a Problem

Though less sweeping than the NAIS, the proposed animal traceability rule is still burdensome. And it’s also a solution in search of a problem -- the USDA has failed to identify the specific problem or disease of concern. The real focus of the program is helping the export market. While the program will benefit a handful of large corporations, the costs and burdens will fall on producers, vets, sale barns, and States. These new regulations will harm rural businesses while wasting taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on the real problems we face in controlling animal disease, food security, and food safety.

Cattle--Along with new identification requirements imposed on all breeding-age cattle, the proposed rule would require identification and paperwork on calves and young cattle (“feeder cattle”), even though there’s no evidence that such requirements will help disease control. In addition, veterinarians and sale barns will have to keep records for 5 years, even though many of these cattle will have been consumed years earlier, creating mountains of useless paperwork.

Producers will only be able to use brands or tattoos as identification if their States enter into special agreements. State agencies will have to build extensive database systems to handle all of the data, creating problems for States’ budgets.

Poultry--Small-scale, pastured, and backyard poultry will be particularly hard hit by the proposed rule. While the large confinement operations will be able to use “group identification,” the definition of the term does not cover most independent operations. Since thousands of people order baby chicks from hatcheries in other states, these birds cross state lines the first day of their lives. Even if the farmer or backyard owner never takes the bird across state lines again, they will have to use individually sealed and numbered leg bands on each chicken, turkey, goose, or duck to comply with the language of the proposed rule.

Horses--The proposed rule also requires that horse owners identify their animals before crossing state lines. Although most, if not all, horses that are shipped across state lines are already identified in some fashion, the proposed rule creates a new complication: Whether or not a physical description is sufficient identification will be determined by the health officials in the receiving state, leaving vets and horse owners struggling with significant uncertainty as they have to anticipate what will be allowed.

Sheep, Goats and Hogs--The draft rule also covers sheep, goats, and hogs that cross state lines, essentially federalizing the existing programs which have been adopted state-by-state until now.

**Please help protect farmers by submitting comments to USDA before December 9, 2011!**

Please make your comments today to USDA. These changes need to be made:

Increase the comment period by 60 additional days to allow seasonally busy farmers and ranchers as well as consumers to comment fully.
More economic analysis to give specific program cost figures for ranchers, businesses and state agencies which regulate livestock
Exempt all feeder cattle from any new identification requirements
Exempt all direct-to-slaughter cattle, for custom and retail sales, from any new identification requirements.
Allow liberal use of multi-state cooperating agreements and the use of alternative means of identification for interstate transport.
Recognize the hot iron brand as an identification method used in nation-wide ID.
Provide no-strings assistance to state livestock programs, to producers and businesses to establish the least expensive ID tagging method, tracking and data systems.
Exempt small farm flocks of poultry animals from identification requirements.
Request specific assurances that information will be kept private and used only by agencies for disease tracking

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT HERE TODAY!