[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71871-71873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24656]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0148]
A Business Plan To Advance Animal Disease Traceability
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are making available for
review and comment a Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease
Traceability. The Business Plan details recommended strategies and
actions to enable existing State and Federal regulated and voluntary
animal health programs, industry-administered management and marketing
programs, and various animal identification methods to work in harmony
with the National Animal Identification System.
ADDRESSES: The Business Plan is available on the Internet at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/. The document may also be viewed in our
reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Neil Hammerschmidt, Coordinator,
National Animal Identification System, National Center for Animal
Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD
20737-1231; (301) 734-5571.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard animal health, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated implementation of a National
Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004. The NAIS is a cooperative
State-Federal-industry program administered by USDA's Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The purpose of the NAIS is to
provide a streamlined information system that will help producers and
animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal
disease events in the United States.
The ultimate long-term goal of the NAIS is to provide State and
Federal officials with the capability to identify all animals and
premises that have had direct contact with a disease of concern within
48 hours after discovery. Meeting that goal requires a comprehensive
animal-disease traceability infrastructure. We have therefore developed
a Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease Traceability. The Business
Plan details recommended strategies and actions to enable existing
State and Federal regulated and voluntary animal health programs,
industry-administered management and marketing programs, and various
animal identification methods to work in harmony in the NAIS. The
document also includes budget summaries and fiscal year 2008 budget
plans, as well as species-specific performance goals and timelines.
Elements of the Business Plan are discussed in greater detail below. We
are now making the document available to the public for review and
comment. We will solicit public comments and stakeholder feedback
through the NAIS Web site.
Strategies
Strategy 1: Prioritize Species/Sectors
Prioritization of species and sectors will ensure that resources
are applied where traceability advances are of the highest importance.
The Business Plan first categorizes species based on existing tracing
capabilities and the need for improvement. Priority species include the
primary commercial food animal industries: Cattle, poultry (chickens
and turkeys), swine, sheep, and goats. Equines are also included as a
priority species because the frequency with which some horses are moved
significant differences to one or more events where they are commingled
with other horses that also may have been moved long distances from a
variety of premises of origin raises concerns about the spread of
disease. Additionally, sectors within each of the species referred to
above have been prioritized to advance traceability where it is most
needed.
Strategy 2: Harmonize Animal Identification Systems
The need for unique animal identification in government and
industry programs is accelerating. As a result, producers are seeking
improved and flexible identification methods and compatible processes
and data standards that may be used for multiple purposes. The
harmonization of animal identification systems will result in more
cost-effective options, benefiting producers while achieving increased
animal disease traceability for the entire industry.
Strategy 3: Standardize Data Elements for Disease Programs To Ensure
Compatibility
APHIS will take steps to standardize data elements and make use of
the standards in existing disease programs. Additionally, APHIS will
consider a regulation to require the use of certain standardized data
elements for import/export regulations, including the standardized
premises identification number (PIN) to identify premises importing and
exporting livestock. The use of the PIN on interstate certificates of
veterinary inspection will also be facilitated and encouraged. The
information on locations participating in official disease control
programs and on the animals' origin and destination premises that would
be listed on interstate certificates of veterinary inspection and on
import/export health certificates would greatly enhance animal disease
tracing and emergency response capabilities.
Strategy 4: Integrate Automated Data Capture Technologies Into Disease
Programs
APHIS will take steps to integrate electronic data capture and
reporting technologies into existing disease programs. By using NAIS-
compliant identification devices that support automated data capture
technology and integrating handheld computers and readers to replace
paper-based forms, animal health officials will be able to
electronically record and submit essential data to the USDA's Animal
Health and Surveillance Monitoring database and other appropriate
animal health databases. We anticipate that the electronic collection
of data will increase volume and quality, minimize data errors, and
speed data entry into a searchable database.
Strategy 5: Partner With States
Working in close partnership with State, Tribal, and Territorial
officials, APHIS will continue to facilitate the development of each
State's animal disease traceability infrastructure. Each State's animal
health officials will administer and manage localized plans reflecting
the animal health priorities in individual regions.
Strategy 6: Collaborate With Industry and Sectors
Producer organizations, representing member interests, can
accelerate the adoption of practices that advance traceability. APHIS
has entered into cooperative agreements with nonprofit industry
organizations to promote premises registration within various species
groups. Collaboration with USDA-accredited veterinarians will
facilitate the delivery of accurate information to clients, as well as
enhance the adoption of animal identification data elements in everyday
production management systems and disease-program activities at the
producer level. Additional partnership efforts with industry alliances,
service providers, auction markets, feedlots, harvesting facilities,
and other industry sectors are a priority for APHIS.
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Strategy 7: Advance Identification Technologies
Continued advancements in traceability require practical,
affordable technology solutions that improve the efficiency and
accuracy of animal identification data collection. APHIS will
collaborate with stakeholders to facilitate the development of
performance standards for identification devices and evaluate emerging
technologies, with emphasis on systems that can operate at the ``speed
of commerce.''
Outcomes and Timelines
Because the need to advance traceability differs among the various
species and sectors, it is important for us to establish clear
priorities as we proceed with implementing the NAIS. Targeted timelines
for key strategies and actions will guide the implementation of these
priorities. Due in part to its size and diversification, the cattle
industry, at this time, has the greatest need to advance traceability,
including increasing the level of official identification. These
challenges require more resources and time to achieve optimum tracing
capability for the industry.
Achieving Necessary Participation
The seven strategies discussed above are designed to increase
involvement in the NAIS in order to achieve a ``critical mass'' of
participation, at which point at least 70 percent of the animals in a
specific species would be identified and traceable either to their
premises of origin, (e.g., cattle, sheep and goats) or to their last
production premises (e.g., swine and poultry). This performance measure
will enable us to gauge the progress being made towards the
participation levels necessary to achieve the optimum traceability
goal; the 70 percent figure is an interim measurement designed to
support incremental advancement, particularly in the cattle industry,
where significant improvement is necessary.
Comments about the Business Plan or other aspects of the NAIS may
be submitted to USDA through the NAIS Web site e-mail address:
[email protected] or by mail to NAIS Program Staff, VS,
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737.
Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of December 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-24656 Filed 12-18-07; 8:45 am]
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