Slide 1Slide 2RFID – Animal AgSlide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Slide 21Slide 22Slide 23Slide 24Slide 25Slide 26RFID – Animal AgSlide 28Legal & Ethical Issues of Animal TrackingBackground & StatusLegal and Practical ConcernsCostConfidentialityCompetitionLiabilityEthical ConsiderationsRFID – Animal AgBackground & StatusUSDA initiated the implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004. NAIS – A Cooperative State-Federal-Industry partnership intended to:Standardize and expand animal identification programs and practices to all livestock species and poultryThree components—premises identification, animal identification, and animal tracking. Long-term goal of the NAIS is to provide animal health officials with the capability to identify all livestock and premises that have had direct contact with a disease of concern within 48 hours after discovery.RFID – Animal AgNAIS is currently a voluntary programUSDA has adopted a phased-in approach to implementation. Although the draft strategic plan references mandatory requirements in 2008 and beyond, to date no actions have been initiated by USDA to develop regulations to require participation in NAIS. The NAIS is a national program intended to identify all agricultural animals and track them as they come into contact with, or are inter-mixed with, animals other than herd mates from their premises of origin.RFID – Animal AgApproximately $14.3 million has been available to state and Tribal cooperators to begin implementation. More than 80,000 premises had been registered as of early 2006; over 350,000 premises registered by Feb 2007. Currently, animal health officials conduct disease trace outs with systems already in place:records related to program diseases, on-farm recordkeeping, required interstate movement certificates and breed registries. Epidemiologic investigations can take days to weeks to complete - records often kept on paper or not standardized across state lines.RFID – Animal AgCurrently, all states and many Tribes have approved premises registration systems; APHIS says all 50 states have projects in drafting/implementation stages.Highest % of registration: Wisconsin (108.2%); Lowest % of registration: Connecticut (0.7%).Questions:Participation rates in current registration of premises focusWhy are the high % high?Why are the low % low?Why are we not at 100% across all states?RFID – Animal AgMay stem from adoption of the program:Pre-adoption of NAIS, partnership of 100+ animal and livestock professionals from 70 associations, organizations, and government developed the USAIP. Who was included on the partnership discussions?USAIP plan identified framework & defined data standards for implementing/maintaining phased-in animal id system USAIP was not an exact blueprint for the current NAIS. USDA indicated it will continue to seek input from industry and other interested parties throughout the design and implementation of the NAIS (species groups still in place)Questions:Who was represented then?Who is represented now?Balance & adequate representation from all stakeholders?RFID – Animal AgNAIS v. COOLNAIS is not being implemented as a result of the COOL initiative. COOL = Country of Origin LabelingNAIS intent: track animal disease to its source and other potentially exposed premises within a 48-hour period after detection (disease focused)COOL intent: identify for commercial marketplace what agricultural products (raw and processed) originate from US (market focused) Questions:Are the differences in the two programs real?Are the differences identified?Many who advocate COOL are opposed to NAIS; why?RFID – Animal AgCost: Private sector and government will share cost of necessary implementation elements (stated expectation)State's and Tribe's animal health authority (e.g., State veterinarian) responsible for administering and maintaining premises registration system for region under its purview. Questions:Are the cost projections realistic?Do costs burden smaller producers more than larger producers?Private costs vs. public costsLocation:The premises registration system:address, contact name, type of premises, and phone number to contact the person in charge of the premises. Key pieces of information sent to national premises information repository to make information available in case of disease traceback needs. Questions:Do we need to have all this information?Why?Where will the location information go?Who will have access to the information?RFID – Animal AgTechnology:Some technologies will work better for some species than for others. USDA focus on design of identification data system as opposed to what type of technology to useOnce identification system is designed, the market will determine which technologies will be the most appropriate to meet the needs of the system. Animal owners using RFID for official identification have been told they will not necessarily need to have an RFID reader; Producers have also been told free to use any data management serviceQuestions:Is technology neutral to species and to types of producers?Access to information gathered by the technology?RFID – Animal AgAnimal Identification:USDA proposed animals needing identification individually would have a 15-character number.Groups or lots of animals would be identified through a 13-character number, and premises would be identified through a 7-character number.USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) identified plans to pursue rulemaking to officially recognize 7-character premises identification number, 13-character group/lot identification number, 15-character AIN.RFID – Animal AgUse of tagging stations approvedEntities operating from a fixed location that have been officially approved by APHIS to apply identification devices to animals that are required to be identified.Animal owners required to individually tag animals that leave the premises of origin can elect to transport animals to an approved tagging station. pay operator of tagging station to apply individual animal identification devices & report identification information tagging stations may include,