NAIS

NFU supports a federally-controlled National Animal Identification System (NAIS). A verifiable NAIS could provide valuable trace-back capability to help identify the source of many food safety issues. Without an adequate NAIS in place, quality food is at risk.

Since the discovery of a Canadian-born, BSE-infected cow in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun implementation of a NAIS. NFU has several concerns with USDA’s proposal to allow a privately managed database system, including: It forces producers to bear the financial burden; it will create a revenue source for private entities seeking to make a profit; it does not contain oversight to protect consumer information.

We are encouraged by the steps taken thus far, yet many questions remain and we urge close consideration of the following:

• Costs of implementing the program remain uncertain. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that this program is a necessity, therefore, we urge DHS to provide full funding to create and maintain the database.
• A seamless system should be provided at all levels to ensure the information gathered is complementary with that provided through mandatory country-of-origin labeling.
• There should be clear limits to the use of the database information, and should be provided only for animal disease and bio terrorism trace-back purposes.