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http://www.icar.org/Documents/newsletters/2008_November.pdf
48 HOURS TRACEABILITY OF ALL ANIMAL SPECIES IN PRODUCTION -
GOAL OF THE NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM IN USA
BRUCE KNIGHT, UNDER SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE in his address to the 36th ICAR
Biennial Session underlined that the voluntary system of animal identification in USA, available
Through the US Department of Agriculture, encompassed three basic components: registration of
Premises, animal identification and animal tracking. Premise registration makes it possible to locate
Animal operations and to reach producers. Identification and tracking are based on state-of-the-art
RFID technology in order to create quicker and more efficient database traceability. Poultry, pig and
Sheep sectors have already reached a high level of participation. The highest priority of the system is an
Increase in participation within dairy and beef sectors. In order to increase the efficiencies of animal
Tracking and traceability, there is a need for the standardization of technical norms so as to ensure the
U.S. Has an internationally appropriate identification system. The efficient ID system will contribute to
The implementation of the country of origin labeling, in place as of
September 2008 for animal
Products, red meats, chicken and goats.
Bruce Knight Speaks at the Houston Livestock Show 03/08
NAIS went from a Disease program to a traceability program for INDUSTRY.
click here to download Houston Livestock show file
Posted 02-04-08
On Saturday Bruce Knight was supposed to be on MetroFarm Radio to answer 9 questions that had been
posed by Doreen Hannes. Bruce bailed and then did not answer the questions. I have included the questions below.
When
Rufino, his special assistant emailed me he said, "send your complaints/questions ASAP and we will try to answer them
ASAP." That was on Friday morning. We never heard from them again. I called this morning and asked Rufino to call me back,
but he hasn't. What is up with that?
I believe we can find a clue in the "complaints/questions". I'm just guessing,
but I don't think they expected to get such educated questions. They probably expected to get some whining along the lines
of, "why will I have to report my trail rides." The questions posed are:
1) Where
in the AHPA (Animal Health Protection Act USC Title 7 Chapter 109 Sec 8301-8320) is the USDA authorized to permanently assign
PIN's to private property, require RFID or 840 id on individual chickens, and require livestock owners to report movements
of their animals to effecuate 48 hour traceability on 32 species of domestic livestock?
2) If the AHPA (Animal Health Protection Act, which passed in 2002, actually does give authority for NAIS,
why was the USDA spending taxpayer money on a national animal identification system commensurate with NAIS standards since
1994?
3) Isn't there a definitive conflict of interest in
Neil Hammerschmidt's position as NAIS coordinator in APHIS when he personally benefited through federal funding in establishing
the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium as well as the FAIR program?
4) How can NAIS be viewed as a voluntary program when states are being forced to implement NAIS to participate
in interstate commerce because of mandatory disease control programs and ICVI's (interstate certificates of veterinary inspection)?
5) What are the USDA definitions of "voluntary" and "market
access"?
6) Which country is actually requiring that all domestic
livestock in the US be included in NAIS as a condition of trade?
7)
In the advent of a foreign animal disease of concern (FAD) such as FMD or HPAI, will all potentially affected properties be
placed into NAIS?
Also, should a FAD occur, will any disease
control protocols change in light of NAIS participation levels?
9)
Can you please explain how a 'voluntary' program can acquire in excess of 200% (MA 226%) participation levels without unauthorized
roll ins and datamining?
What I am asking here is that you email Bruce Knight, Bruce.Knight@usda.gov . You get extra points for calling him 202/720-7246
And please, let us all know the results.
Oct 11, 2007 So do you think its still Voluntary???
Another famous Bruce Knight Quote “With efforts to register premises under the NAIS continuing to build momentum,
we are looking ahead to the next phases of the program. The approval of additional identification
devices provides producers with important options for participating in the voluntary NAIS and increasing animal disease traceability
in the United States.”
It appears we the rumor mongers can lay this to rest as Bruce just stated we are looking ahead to the next Phase of the
program... So you really think this program is Voluntary at the the Federal Level? If and when they get there 50 to
60 percent registered premises and should a disease of concern be introduced this program will be MANDATORY.
*****
Full article not linked:
"A rapid disease response would limit the impact of an outbreak on a
producer's operation, stop the spread of disease
and soften the potential market
impact on the livestock industry," he said. "If the voluntary program
is a
success, the system will not be made mandatory."
Talk Back to Bruce; Uh oh!! Well, Brucie Knight, your slip of the tongue just let the cat of the bag,
No longer will you be able to claim we are spreading misinformation.
"It doesn't cost anything, it's confidential, it's simple to do and, most importantly, it's the right
thing to do," Knight said.
Talk back to Bruce: Is this man for real, it doesn't cost anything, lets see there is tags or implants depending
on species, then the visit from the vets who are getting incentives for premises registration and reporting there customers
who are not in compliance. Since no cost has been published from the USDA as Congress has asked for the sky is
the limit on the annual premises id once it becomes mandatory. Then in order to comply with the reporting of movement,
you will need internet service, a computer, scanner and then if you have a fair amount of animals you will
need hired help such as a secretatary much like Bruce's title to keep all the reporting in line. SIMPLE just keep
writing thoses checks to pay for NAIS. What about a huge Boarding situation where horses come and go all the time.
Simple Bruce said!, Your momma and daddy did not teach you very well Bruce! Confidential, wasnt the USDA hacked of confidential
information and what about all the social security numbers and names posted on the USDA site? Yeah Bruce Simple
and confidential and now we have its the right thing to do, but Bruce for whom?
Knight said that it is important for producers to look into the future. "Farm policy needs to change and we need to look
at the direction we are going," he said. "Agriculture is downshifting from six million farms to two million farms, so better
production and traceability is a must.
Talk back to Bruce: Bruce the Nafta trade agreements did a great job in the elimination of 4 million farms and now
he wants to finish the last 2 million farms via NAIS. Knights makes statements but he doesnt let anyone know where we
are suppose to head in the future. What is the direction Mr. Knight are you talking about, do you mean the taking of
peoples land and the cheap food from 3rd world countries who are working at slave rate.
It’s a voluntary program, and it’s not going to go mandatory” in the future,
Knight said.
Knight said if producers would take a few minutes now to register their premises
in the National Animal Identification System, it could save them in the long run.
Knight said that beyond premises registration, USDA intends for the NAIS to include additional
premises identification and animal tracking steps down the road
A “big push” this year will be to get livestock producers who raise
animals destined for human consumption to enroll their premises. This emphasis is more important now than enrolling smaller-scale
producers and those individuals who keep a few horses or other animals for recreational purposes, Knight said.
Talk Back To Bruce: Mr Knight speaks with forked tongue and he said all
of this in just one article. He has to be related to Mike Johanns....
Another Comment dated 11-06 Remember when the Articals came out stating the NAIS is Dead Ding Dong the NAIS is DEAD well
it rose back from the Dead.
USDA Undersecretary Knight wasn't backing away from the plan, or the
timetable, in a
Nov. 22 interview with the Dow-Jones Newswire, though. He
said livestock sector concerns have only slowed
down progress and the USDA
is in a hurry to meet self-imposed deadlines, but also said
the goal to be
able to track a diseased animal back to its source in 48 hours or less is
still
on track.
The NAIS New User Guide along with the Cooperative Agreement came out on Nov 22, 2006.
Mike Johanns Comments
Johanns rejected the idea of a mandatory country of origin (COOL) label for beef.
“Mandatory is a word that I don’t like,” stated Johanns. Johanns pointed out that animal identification
is different because it is voluntary. One week later he told a meeting of agricultural journalists in D.C. that a mandatory
national animal ID system is inevitable.
If USDA finds the voluntary approach isn't working, Johanns explains it has the authority to change the system
into a mandatory one without Congress writing new legislation."
Under the current plan, industry participation in the NAIS is voluntary, but Johanns said it could become
mandatory if producers and other industry groups are slow to sign on. The USDA has authority to make the program mandatory
without new legislation, he told reporters.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns pointed out testing is not a food safety measure.
Rather, it's a way to find out the prevalence of the disease.
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