The National Animal Identification System

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) has been designed to enhance the current animal disease surveillance and monitoring system. When fully operational the goal of the NAIS will be to trace an animal, exposed to or expressing a foreign animal disease (FAD), or a disease of concern, to the point of origin within 48 hours.

Development of the plan began in January, 2002 following the 2001 outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in Great Britain and the terrorist events of 911. Over 60 livestock and farm organizations representing producers and industry stakeholders, have worked cooperatively with state and federal animal health officials in developing the plan. These individuals recognized the lack of traceability capabilities in the U.S. to effectively control the accidental or intentional spread of a contagious disease outbreak. Since January, 2004, ten species working groups, representing the major livestock species in production within the U.S. , have been working to adapt the framework of the NAIS plan to meet the needs of their specific species. Ohio has four individuals representing the beef and dairy industries on the Cattle Industry Working Group; and one individual serving on each of the Pork Industry Working Group, Goat Industry Working Group, and Equine Industry Working Group.

There are three components to the NAIS:

  • Premises Identification – A premises is the physical location where livestock are produced, held or managed. Premises identification is the critical first step of the NAIS by uniquely identifying the origin of an animal and other locations where the animal has resided and disease exposure could have occurred.
  • Animal Identification – National standards have been established to uniquely identify individual animals as they change ownership and move throughout the marketing chain. The current owner/seller is responsible for assuring the animal is properly identified. The eventual goal of the NAIS is to electronically identify all individually identified animals. Standards have also been established to accommodate group/lot identification for those animals / species that are managed as a group from birth to harvest, are never commingled with animals outside of the production system, or with other owner’s animals.
  • Animal Tracking – Per the NAIS, animal movements will be reported every time an animal changes ownership, moved interstate, or commingled with other owners animals. The receiving premises will be the one ultimately responsible for reporting the movements of the animals onto their premises.

NAIS: “Application for Ohio ‘s Livestock Industry”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) continues to move forward with voluntary implementation of the NAIS by encouraging the registration of all premises that produce, manage or hold livestock. Approximately 1700 premises have been registered to date.

Ohio ‘s livestock organizations will help guide the future steps to implementing the NAIS. General consensus supports delaying the animal tracking component of the NAIS until such time that:

•  Specie groups agree on the development and administration of the data management system that will hold the animal tracking information.

•  Infrastructure exists throughout the marketing chain to collect electronic readings of animal identity.

•  Technology improvements in scanning and data management equipment can occur.

Two options for implementing the NAIS in Ohio are currently being discussed.

One option is to maintain focus on identifying all premises that produce, manage, or hold livestock in Ohio until that task is complete. This action represents the first basic step to implementing the NAIS but provides little improvement to the current animal disease surveillance and monitoring system.

The other option being discussed would begin with premises identification followed by animal identification at change of ownership only. This option is being referred to as the “Bookends” supporting animal disease traceability.

Historically animal disease tracebacks have been hampered by the fact that animal health officials have had only one point of reference (one bookend) to start when trying to identify the origin of disease diagnosis and exposure. Unfortunately, that reference point does not appear until an animal has already expressed a contagious disease. At that time the animal health official learns the physical location (farm, sale barn, concentration yard, feedlot, packing plant, etc.) and the name of the current owner. From there the traceability of the origin of the disease is a one-way track dependent upon a paper-trail and a question – “Where did you buy this animal?” The speed of the trace is dictated by previous owner’s records and their availability for questioning. Previous owner contacts may not be accomplished for days, or weeks, and many times the trail stops, leaving a lingering source of infection of the disease.

The initial NAIS components of Premises Registration and Animal Identification would provide animal health officials an additional “Bookend” that significantly enhances disease traceability. This bookend is referred to as the “Bookend of Origin”.

Key components of the “Bookend” system include:

•  All livestock producers would be assigned a premises identification number for their farms.

•  Producers would be required to present their premises number to complete the purchase of official animal identification tags or devices.

•  To help reduce the cost to producers, electronic or visual ID tags / devices are acceptable.   The ID device represents the only tangible direct cost to producers under the bookend system

•  The official animal ID numbers associated with the producer’s premises number provides animal health officials with a record of the “Bookend of Origin” if the animal ever expresses a contagious disease.

•  Animals of origin may be officially identified at any time in their life, but only required when a change in ownership occurs.

•  Animals of origin, refers to the location where the animal was born or hatched.

•  Animal movements are not required to be reported.

•  As long as the ID device remains with the animal, subsequent owners need not re-identify the animal.

How the “Bookend” system works:

A producer’s local veterinarian reports to the state veterinarian’s office that an animal with a highly contagious disease has been found on his client’s farm. A state animal health official comes to the farm to confirm the diagnosis and to begin the traceback investigation. Historically this would have been a one-way, time-consuming track back to the herd of origin. However, with the “Bookends” system in place and seeing that the animal has an official ID, the state vet checks his records and immediately knows where the animal originated. Now the state vet can put two investigators on the case, one starting at the farm / bookend of disease detection and the other at the farm/ bookend of origin. With two investigators conducting simultaneous interviews with other owner’s of the animal, it is logical that this time-tested approach has proven its ability to reduce the time requirement for tracebacks by 50%.

USDA’s initial TB and Brucellosis Eradication Program were based on the bookends approach.

Canada started their animal identification system in 2001 based on the bookends approach.

The current USDA Scrapie Eradication Program, for the sheep and goat industries, is based on the bookends approach.

The bookends approach will not always meet the 48hour traceback goal of the NAIS. However, for the cost of an ear tag, it’s a cost-effective, time-tested interim step that will significantly improve our current animal disease surveillance and monitoring system; while we wait for the animal tracking component of the NAIS to develop.

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