Protecting the Food Supply Chain: Looking for a New Animal ID System

USDA officials and animal agriculture representatives set priorities and discussed new strategies for animal identification and traceability at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s annual meeting held Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo. USDA announced in February that it was going to scrap the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in favor of a new state-based system. Representatives from the beef, dairy, horse, sheep and pork industries expressed concerns and suggested priorities as a replacement for the defunct NAIS is shaped. In addition, representatives from American Meat Institute and a livestock marketing agency stated their views. Input from Wednesday’s meeting will be key to reshaping and defining USDA’s role in developing new national animal identification efforts. According to the industry representatives, priorities for a new state-led animal identification system include development of uniform ID standards that apply across all states, ability for the system to move at ‘speed-of-commerce’, as well as availability of USDA funding for the effort. Minimizing producer costs and confidentiality also are important, according to some.