01/24/07 Advisory group reports on animal ID

Washington Ag January 24, 2007 Washington state should proceed with its own voluntary animal identification system for cattle as part of a National Animal Identification System. That is what the legislatively created Cattle Advisory Committee reported to the Legislature yesterday. Advisory committee member Ed Field of the Washington Cattle Feeders Association highlighted some of the groups other recommendations to the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. Field: "Only allow the landholder to register premises. Can't register premises on someone else's land. The database housing the NAIS information; we felt strongly there should be a Washington state database that houses and maintains information. Animal identification; we felt they should identify animals at change of ownership or change of premise if co-mingled. Group lot identification; cattle can have group lot identification as long they are born, raised, single branded with the same owner. Once the group lot cattle have had a change of ownership or co-mingled they must be identified individually." The advisory committee said the cost of an ID system should be split between the state and the cattle industry. State Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said the group's recommendations would make for a solid identification system in Washington. I'm Bob Hoff.