01/16/06 Private animal I.D. management

As the federal government has spent the last two years determining how best to craft and implement a national animal identification system that would assure both safety and confidentiality in our nation's meat supply, one observation became clear to U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns. The industry wanted assurances that confidentiality of data would be maintained. JOHANNS: That's why we paid attention when producers asked that animal movement data be privately held. The piece of the system that is the most producer dependant is this piece dealing with tracking animal movements. So it simply makes good sense for producers to design and maintain this piece of the system. But in the time since Johanns has called for proposals from industry groups and others on an animal I.D. system, there was no formal response. That is, until earlier this month. That is when a consortium of groups headed by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association submitted its proposal for a privately-operated animal I.D. management system. And this past week, an inaugural meeting via teleconference resulted in the election of board members to what is now the United States Animal Identification Organization. The U.S.A.I.O. is designed to provide a non-profit entity for the meat industry to manage the animal I.D. movement data base. Among the board members is Boise's Rick Stott from Agri-Beef. He says the system proposed by U.S.A.I.O. meets several of the federal goals for a national animal I.D. system. STOTT: It provides for a nice shield for confidentiality for producers. The cost of the actual management of the system will be very low. We expect that it will be less than thirty cents for the life of the animal for all of the events and transactions that need to be recorded for the movement of those animals. Currently, the U.S.A.I.O. has representation from the cattle and bison industries. But Stott says for this new organization and system to be effective, especially when it comes to managing databases as outlined under U.S.D.A.'s National Animal I.D. strategic plan, there needs to be a significant representation across the board of the meat industry, as well as animal health authorities. STOTT: The board is going to be made up of industries, of industry associations, and we are looking forward to having everybody from Farm Bureau, to R-C.A.L.F., to L.M.A., to the pork guys and chicken guys to have a representative. Anybody that wants to move this animal identification process forward in a constructive, pro-active, efficient way is welcome to participate.