May 6, 2005 — A thinking paper and timeline on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) was unveiled yesterday by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.
Johanns called on producers and others in the ag industry to provide feedback on the documents, available at www.usda.gov/nais and in an upcoming Federal Register. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) release, the paper and timeline offer a draft plan using input from producers and the NAIS advisory committee. Also included are projected timelines and potential ways to achieve system milestones. For example, these documents propose requiring stakeholders to identify premises and animals according to NAIS standards by January 2008, the report stated. Full records of defined animal movements are proposed by January 2009.
Questions regarding system funding, confidentiality and system flexibility are also acknowledged within the documents.
Farmers and ranchers can comment on the plan by sending an original and three copies of postal or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. 050-15-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Rd., Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. A comment form will also be available on the NAIS home page at www.usda.gov/nais.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before June 6.
— by Crystal Albers, Angus Productions Inc. assistant editor
