Future of National Animal Identification System Unclear
by Susan on 07/13/09 at 9:09 am
USDA needs oversight and funding
How much do you know about the National Animal Identification System? Probably not that much, unless you’re involved with livestock or meat or dairy production. NAIS is another possibly useful but poorly managed and controversial program under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture. We all know how well they manage other aspects of the agency.
According to the USDA web site:
“The National Animal Identification System is a modern, streamlined information system that helps producer and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal disease events in the United States.”
Put into place to prevent incidents like Mad Cow and other animal-related disease outbreaks, the NAIS is designed to:
- Increase the nation’s disease response capabilities
- Limit the spread of animal diseases
- Minimize animal losses and economic impact
- Protect the producers’ livelihoods
- Maintain market access
Essentially, the program is supposed to be able to track every animal in the food production process from birth to slaughter and give authorities the tools to trace any disease event back to the source.
Not unexpectedly, the program has been underfunded and plagued with a number of administrative, organizational and public relations problems, not to mention dissension from those it is supposed to protect and serve.
Participation is Voluntary
Initially mandatory, the program was subsequently made voluntary after strong opposition from cattle ranchers and beef producers. They said the cost would be prohibitive and were concerned that the system would leak proprietary information that would end up destabilizing and lowering market prices. To date, only about one-third of the potential participants have registered, and there has been strong criticism of the USDA for its management (or lack thereof) of the program.
There are also financial issues. The U.S. House of Representatives recently axed funding for the beleaguered program, but the Senate has $14 million earmarked in the next budget cycle, even though a broad coalition of grassroots agriculture, organic, and consumer organizations are demanding the funding be dropped. In a press release published on Feedstuffs.com, the coalition claims that NAIS places “unfair burdens on family farms and sustainable livestock operations,” and that there are groups involved “who stood to profit directly.” The group says these issues have not been addressed.
The USDA Takes to the Road
To gather information, the USDA just wrapped up a 14-city listening tour, which attracted about 1,600 interested farmers, ranchers and meat producers. Of the 500 individuals who spoke at the meetings, more than 400 of them criticized the NAIS and called for its dissolution.
The program also has legal problems. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is urging the USDA to listen to the comments by those attending the regional meetings and scrap the program. Pete Kennedy, acting president of the Fund, said the NAIS is unnecessary, because other mechanisms are already in place to track and record any disease outbreaks.
“NAIS is simply not needed,” he added in a press release issued by the organization on July 8. ”The USDA continues to confuse industry support for efforts to identify and eliminate animal diseases with support for NAIS, despite the fact that some 80 percent of the people who testified during the hearings testified against USDA’s animal identification program.”
Lawsuit May Decide the Fate of the NAIS
Last year, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia against the USDA to stop the implementation of NAIS. An amended complaint was filed earlier this year. The Fund’s suit asks the court to stop the implementation of NAIS at both the State and Federal levels. If successful, the suit would halt the program nationwide, and this would have been yet another expensive boondoggle for the American public.
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