Ag Groups Call for Death to NAIS

One cannot help but wonder if the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has bitten off more than it can chew when it comes to tracking animals. Five years and $147 million after USDA opted to implement an animal tracking system based on the Australian model, it's far from a done deal. In fact, in late November, USDA and Congress both received letters signed by 100 agricultural groups advocating death for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NAIS, says the letter from the Ag groups, "is an ill-conceived, burdensome, and badly implemented solution for achieving the national objective of improving animal disease prevention and control in the United States." Australia, the second largest exporter of beef from a continent that is "Mad Cow" free, has a "birth-to-death" tracking system for its farm animals that uses a national database to keep track of every ownership change. The system, which was up and running by 2006, uses an encrypted ear tag that uses a 15-digit number to identify the animal. The tag transmits the number to machines whenever animals are moved or sold, and the data is ultimately uploaded to the national database of Australia's 28 million head of cattle. Canada opted for a system that is not as comprehensive as Australia's, but rather "bookends" the ownership records at birth and immediately prior to slaughter...read more