1.  What is the U. S. Animal Identification Plan? 

The U.S. Animal Identification Plan (USAIP) defines the standards and framework for implementing and maintaining a phased-in national animal identification system for the United States. 

2.  What is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)?

On April 27, 2004, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced the framework for implementation of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) designed to identify any agricultural premise exposed to a foreign animal disease so that it can be more quickly contained and eradicated.  She further also announced that $18.8 million would be transferred from the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to provide initial funding for the program during FY 2004. 

“While many livestock species in the United States can be identified through a variety of systems, a verifiable system of national animal identification will enhance our efforts to respond to intentionally or unintentionally introduced animal disease outbreaks more quickly and effectively,” Veneman said. “This framework is the result of concerted efforts to expedite the implementation of a system that meets our goals and enables farmers and ranchers to adapt existing identification programs and to use all existing forms of effective technologies.”   

3.  What’s the difference between the USAIP and the NAIS? 

The U.S. Animal Identification Plan (USAIP) is a detailed plan created by industry representatives over the course of two year to address national animal identification. The U.S. Animal Health Association accepted the USAIP as a work in progress in October 2003. Subsequently, USDA adopted the data standards of USAIP for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Moreover, USDA is using USAIP as a guide as it drafts other standards required for NAIS implementation. As NAIS is developed and implemented, the USAIP development team and species-specific USAIP working groups continue to provide input. 

4.   Why is a national animal identification system needed? 

A national animal identification system is needed to help protect American animal agriculture from foreign or domestic disease threats.  Fundamental to controlling any disease threat is a system that can quickly and effectively identify individual animals or groups; the premises where they are located; and the date of entry to that premise.    Identifying all food and livestock animals will enhance disease preparedness by allowing the U.S. to identify and locate any animals exposed to disease and will facilitate stopping the spread of that disease.  In addition, it will provide benefits to animal owners in terms of market access and consumer demand.  The USAIP will help uphold the reputation of the U.S. of having healthy animals and will promote continued confidence in agricultural and animal products.  Having a working system that allows for tracebacks to all premises that had direct contact with an animal with an animal disease within 48 hours of discovery will reduce the financial and social impacts of such a disease.

5.  Is this plan part of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)?  

No, the USAIP is not intended to be a part of Country of Origin Labeling. The plan’s sole intent is to create the ability to track animal disease to its source within a 48-hour period.

 However, animal owners may be able to use information collected under the USAIP/NAIS should they wish to participate in a voluntary COOL program.

6. Why is 48-hour traceback capability needed? 

To protect the health of the U.S. herd, sound scientific principles indicate that being able to track and contain a disease event within 48 hours is essential. For the industry to maintain confidence in animal health, it will need to demonstrate its ability to meet this standard.

7. What are the benefits for producers in adopting the U.S. Animal Identification Plan/NAIS? 

The adoption of a national identification system will help secure the health of the national herd.  The program will provide animal owners and animal health officials with the infrastructure to improve efforts in current disease eradication and control; protect against foreign and domestic animal disease outbreaks; and provide infrastructure to address threats from deliberate introduction of disease.   

The industry may integrate the standards and technologies defined in the USAIP with their management systems and performance recording programs.  The utilization of the same ID technologies for both regulatory and industry programs allows for the development of a more cost-effective and user-friendly system for the animal owner.  Animal owners can also benefit from additional animal identification information obtained to improve production efficiencies and add value to their animals. However, the information systems are completely separate; production data will not be transmitted to nor maintained in the national identification databases.

8.  How much will the program cost? 

It is difficult to quantify the cost of a fully operational system since all of the needed components have not yet been fully defined.  Work currently being done by the USAIP Working Groups and by USDA will help better estimate those costs. 

9.  Who will pay for the identification system? 

It is anticipated that the federal government and all industry stakeholders will share in the costs of an identification system. 

10.  Where do I get a premises ID? 

The responsibility of administration and maintenance of premises ID lies with each state’s department of agriculture.  Once the system is operational, State departments will use a national mechanism to obtain a unique national premises ID, and will record additional information such as type of premises, contact name, address, and phone number to contact the person in charge of a premises. Key pieces of information will be sent to the national premises database that can be used in the case of a disease trace-back. 

11.  What forms of identification will be used?  

The form of animal identification used is intended to optimize accuracy; promote efficient information transfer; and be practical and effective in its application for individual species and/or industries. Species groups are helping to design a system that may or may not use accompanying visible ID.   

For example, the cattle industry plans to use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology using an eartag attachment. Other species are exploring methods suitable for their industries, although effective official identification methods as described in the 9 CFR will be maintained for certain species. Electronic identification may be necessary for efficient and accurate data collection and animal tracking in some species or in particular animal movement scenarios.  It is position of the USAIP / NAIS to remain open to new forms of technology as they are developed and proven, and if they provide more efficient and cost-effective means of identifying animals.

12.  Do I have to eartag my horse?

No.  Species Working Groups are aware of traditional methods of identifying animals and will not recommend methods that are contrary to current practices.  The goal is to provide valid identification without compromising other needs of a given species.

13.  Where do I get an official ID tag or device? 

Currently, the distribution mechanism for ID devices is being discussed, and it has not yet been determined where and how a producer can obtain official ID devices at this time.

14.  Will animal owners need to have a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader? 

Radio frequency (RF) technology is the form of electronic identification that is currently being recommended for cattle by USAIP’s Beef and Dairy Working Groups.  Animal owners that utilize RFID for official identification will not necessarily need to have a RFID reader.   For example, the producer will be able to record the RFID code of the electronic device before it is applied to an animal and cross-reference the code with a visual-tag number.  This will allow them to maintain a record of the RFID code without having to read (scan) the transponder.  For cattle, the plan calls for the utilization of a RFID eartag attachment on which the RFID code is to be printed for visual readability.  While reading and recording the RFID code manually is not ideal, it can be achieved. 

15.  Who will pay for RFID readers and their installation in markets and slaughter plants? Who will pay for the electronic identification devices?  

The plan is being developed as an industry-government partnership, so it is expected that industry and the government will share the cost of the necessary elements.  Exactly how those costs will be shared is currently under discussion within the various Species Working Groups.

16.  If I am currently using an ID program through a private service or marketing alliance, will my ID be usable in the USAIP? 

Yes, assuming the program you are using will be compliant with the official USAIP/NAIS standards.   

17.  Should I, or my State Cattle Association, consider options for aligning ourselves with a database management provider so I can be sure I comply with the USAIP/NAIS? 

The USAIP Steering Committee would characterize such action as premature. There is definitely no urgency as no immediate implementation requirements have been established.  The program will be phased in over time, and an adequate transition period will be established for animal owners to work into the system.

The USDA is taking necessary steps to have the standards established as official; the U.S. Animal Identification Number is an example.  The standards established in the USAIP are to be recognized as official, so industry initiatives that are developing programs containing an ID component may start to incorporate them if they so desire.  Additionally, this will allow the standards to be used in various pilot projects that are being formulated.  Also, please note that the timetables outlined in the USAIP are target dates, which will be updated through consensus of the Species Working Groups.

18. Who will be responsible for applying identification to animals? 

During the phase in period, animals will need to be identified as they leave whatever premises they are on regardless of where they were born.  After the first few years of the program, identifying animals will be the responsibility of the “premises of birth” animal owners.  For animal owners who lack equipment for individual identification, “tagging stations” will be available.

19.  What is a tagging station and where will such stations be located? 

A tagging station is an entity operating from a fixed location that has been officially approved by USDA/APHIS to apply ID devices to animals that are required to be identified. The USAIP work plan recognizes that not all animal owners will have facilities to individually tag animals before they leave their premises of origin. Therefore, animal owners who are required to individually tag animals that leave the premises of origin can elect to transport animals to an approved tagging station and pay the operator of the tagging station a fee to apply individual animal ID devices and report the ID information to the central database.  Such tagging stations may include, but not be limited to, an existing livestock marketing facility, a veterinary clinic, a fairgrounds or a facility specifically dedicated to performing tagging services.

20.  If I raise animals for my own use and they never leave my property, do they need to be identified? 

Under the current plan, animals that never leave a premise do not need to be identified.  However, animal owners are encouraged to identify their animals and their premises, regardless of the number of animals present, as many animal diseases may be spread regardless if an animal does not leave its home premises.  Examples may include West Nile Virus, Foot and Mouth Disease, Vesicular Stomatitus, and Equine Infectious Anemia.

21.  If I only show my animals or take them to trail rides do they need to be identified? 

When showing or commingling animals with animals from multiple premises, the possibility of spreading disease becomes a factor and those animals then will need to be identified. 

22.   What is “commingling”?

Commingling may be defined as an animal having contact with, or being inter-mixed with animals other than herdmates from that animal’s premises of origin.

23.  What data will be required to be kept, by whom and in what form? 

This part of the plan is under development by USAIP/NAIS.  It is anticipated that the final plan will be user-friendly such that it will be easy for all stakeholders to implement and make part of their daily practice.  Ideally, animal movements will be electronically tracked and sent from the stakeholders to the central database.  For the plan to be successful, this key part, i.e. data entry, will need to be easy to follow, thus achievable in real-time such that data entry becomes a routine management practice. 

Only essential information will be reported to the central database. In the case of individual animals, this is: 1) an USAIN (US Animal Identification Number), 2) the premises ID that the USAIN was seen at or allocated to, 3) the date it was seen or allocated, and 4) an appropriate event code (e.g. sighting, movement-in, movement-out, etc.).  Additional information that can be important in a disease trace-back such as species, breed, sex, age or date of birth can also be reported if available. In the case of group or lot movements, the key data are the groups’ Lot ID number, the premises ID where the Lot ID number was seen, and the date it was seen. If specie is available, this can also be provided to the central database.  

The goal of the work plan is to work with existing information systems so additional recording of information by animal owners and others responsible for reporting animal movements is minimized.

24.  Who will have access to information in the National Animal ID Databases? 

Only state and federal health officials will have access to the premises and animal ID information when performing their duties to maintain the health of the national herd. Proper safeguards are being researched and will be put in place to ensure that the data is protected from public disclosure. 

25.  What species are included in the USAIP/NAIS? 

The USAIP/NAIS is being developed for all animals that will benefit from having a system to facilitate rapid traceback/traceout in the event of disease concern.   Currently Working Groups are developing plans for Cattle/Bison, Swine, Sheep, Goats, Equine, and Camelids (Llamas and Alpacas).

26.  Will this be a mandatory program? 

Efforts are geared toward developing a national animal identification program that will provide for the ability to rapidly track animals exposed to a disease concern, and will meet the needs of animal owners, animal industries, domestic and international markets and consumers. The plan still needs to be completed, and the system needs to be tested to be sure it is effective and workable.   

USDA has indicated that at the outset, the NAIS will be a voluntary system.  Incremental implementation of the plan as development continues will allow for potential problems within the system to be identified and the plan modified to address those problems.  Ultimately there needs to be full compliance for the system to work as effectively as it should.  Once the USAIP/NAIS has been finalized, considered workable and accepted by industry, it is likely that industry and market forces will drive the process towards full participation.  At that time, USDA will work with industry and state partners to achieve full participation with the USAIP/NAIS.

27.  Will I be able to sell my livestock if they are not officially identified?   

Yes, as the plan will begin as a voluntary program.  Over time, some markets may require animals to be identified that are not identified now.  Species where ID is currently required will continue to have to be identified prior to entering commerce, e.g. sheep and goats under the national Scrapie eradication program.  

As the program is phased in, all animals of covered species will be encouraged to have premises identification, and eventually individual identification, prior to sale. For animal owners who lack facilities to apply identification devices at the premises of birth, there will be provisions for initiating the process at the point of sale. 

28.  Can animals be identified as a group? 

Yes, an animal production system can use Group/Lot identification if the animal owner is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of state animal health officials that, through group identification and production records, traceback to all premises with direct contacts of a suspect animal can occur within 48 hours, and that the potential for commingling does not exist.  Each group will be identified with a unique and standardized number.  Verifiable records will be required to further document premises ID and dates of movement.

29.  What are the penalties for not using the program?  

  At this point, the USAIP/NAIS is not fully developed and animal owners are not yet required to comply with any rules.  When the plan is finished, the market forces may drive the process toward participation.

30.  What are the liability issues of this program for animal owners?   

Animal owners are, and have always been responsible for the animals they produce.  If practices are employed that would endanger consumers at any level, the animal owner responsible for creating that threat could have increased liability.  Effective traceability can help protect animal owners who apply best management practices. The system can help limit liability and narrow the scope of eradication efforts in the case of a disease emergency by being able to document that appropriate and responsible measures were followed. 

31.  What is the timeline for implementing this program? 

Several steps need to be completed before the USAIP/NAIS could be fully implemented, however the USAIP recommends that:

•  All states have a premises identification system initiated by July, 2004;

•  Unique, individual or group/lot numbers be available for issuance by the middle of 2004;

•  All cattle, swine, and small ruminants possess individual or group/lot identification for interstate movement by July 2005;     

•  All animals of the remaining species/industries identified above be in similar compliance by July 2006. 

These standards will apply to all animals moving within the represented industries regardless of their intended use as seedstock, commercial, pets or other personal uses.

32.  Who has developed this plan? 

The National Animal Identification Development Team has developed the USAIP. It is a group of approximately 100 animal and livestock industry professionals representing over 70 associations, organizations, and government agencies. Development has been a voluntary effort by all participants working collaboratively to establish an effective national animal identification plan.

33.  Who is on the Team? 

Individuals on the team include producers, animal and livestock association and organizational representatives, and State and Federal governmental animal production and health professionals.  Represented industries include beef, dairy, swine, sheep, goats, and cervids.   Other species groups are welcome and encouraged to participate. 

34.  What government entities will have oversight of this plan?  

In keeping with the aim of the program to help safeguard U.S. animal health through disease surveillance and monitoring that includes trace back to individual animals within 48 hours, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will administer the program.  Further, the plan calls for governance as a joint federal-state responsibility with industry input.  To ensure uniformity of operations across the U.S., APHIS and individual state animal health entities will develop and administer key regulatory elements of the plan.

35.  What will be the ID requirements for animals entering the United States from other countries? 

Animals entering the country will be subject to the same identification requirements as animals in the U.S. that move interstate and/or through commerce.   Currently, various species working groups are defining species-specific identification requirements.

36.  With the phase-out of existing official animal identification devices by July 2005, what will happen with Brucellosis vaccination tags? Will they still be used?

The USAIP does not yet specify how it will affect the animal identification protocols currently associated with the Brucellosis eradication program. It is likely that Brucellosis vaccination tags will be phased out gradually as individual vaccination records are included in the database linked to each USAIN.

37.  What will happen with the national Scrapie eradication program's ID system?

With uniformity and consistency being key objectives of the USAIP, the U.S. Animal Identification Number (USAIN) will become the official number for use in the Scrapie eradication program. It is likely that animals currently Identified through other official plans/programs will be "grandfathered" into the program, meaning animal owners will phase in the USAIN on animals Identified for the first time after a mutually acceptable date.  

In addition, it is envisioned that the current Scrapie premises identification numbers may be cross-referenced with the new National Premises ID and animal owners will still be able to use the current premises ID number until it is phased out over time.

38.  Where can interested stakeholders go to obtain more information about this plan? 

The primary source of up-to-the-minute information is www.usaip.info - an interactive, user-friendly website that provides details on the development of the plan as well as specific information directed at the segments of the livestock industry involved in the identification effort.  Also, fact sheets, brochures, and other forms of media will be developed to target those needing information on the USAIP/NAIS.  

In addition, information on the National Animal Identification System is available at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais.html.

39. Is there still time to have input into the plan? 

The U.S. Animal Identification Development Team is seeking comments from all interested individuals.  The comment period runs until January 31, 2004.  You can send comments

•   from the USAIP web site --- www.usaip.info

•   by faxing (719) 538-8847 or

•   by mailing to USAIP Comments: 660 Southpointe Court, Suite 314, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.