USDA Approves Two Additional Animal Identification Devices For Use In NAIS The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced the approval of two new animal identification devices: a visual tag with radio frequency identification (RFID) from Leader Products and the first approved injectable transponder from Digital Angel. The devices carry an official animal identification number (AIN), which is used to identify individual animals as part of USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). USDA is technology neutral and supports a range of NAIS-compliant identification methods. All NAIS-compliant RFID devices are ISO-compliant and therefore, an ISO-compliant reader would read any of them. “The ability to successfully trace an animal disease to its source is critical to the health and viability of the livestock and poultry industry in the United States,” said Bruce Knight, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs....
Ag Groups Urge Congress To Oppose Increase Of RFS For Grain-Based Ethanol A broad coalition of organizations representing many segments of the animal agriculture community sent a letter to House and Senate leaders voicing their opposition to the expansion of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for grain-based ethanol contained in the Senate-based version of the energy bill. The organizations noted that the existing RFS, enacted in 2005, has already spurred rapid development in the renewable fuel industry and suggested that this policy, which expires in 2012, should be given a chance to work before any additional mandates are added to it. “Our producer-members will benefit from certainty and predictability in government energy policies. On the other hand, they will be adversely affected if the government induces a series of supply shocks through sudden and dramatic increases in the RFS,” the letter states. “We strongly support efforts to encourage the commercialization of ethanol from cellulosic biomass and similar sources. Nevertheless, we note that by all accounts, this commercialization is still some years away. If Congress chooses to increase the RFS for cellulosic ethanol, the law should be clear that this portion of the mandate is to be met only with non-grain-based fuels,” the letter adds. In respect to the existing RFS, the signatories, which included the American Meat Institute, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Meat Association, National Turkey Federation, United Egg Association and United Egg Producers, urged congressional leaders to create a safety valve in the event of a short corn crop....