US to Scrap Animal ID System
DeHaven is also critical of the USDA announcement that cattle branding—an outdated form of theft deterrent—will be an acceptable form of animal identification in the new system.
Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and a former head of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service states that the move could seriously hinder U.S. vets' ability to track diseased animals and prevent the spread of those diseases —diseases that could spread to humans and cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars.
Last month, the USDA announced that it was going to scrap the eight years of work and $120 million it poured into creation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Instead, the USDA announced it would restart the process and begin developing a new state-based animal identification system.
"By having an animal ID program in place, we can more quickly contain and eliminate disease. Doing so not only minimises the economic impact, but by minimising the number of animals affected, we reduce animal suffering," Dr. DeHaven says. "In the case of zoonotic diseases – diseases that can spread from animals to humans – we reduce the potential that the disease will spread to humans."
Dr. DeHaven says that one of the biggest problems with this announcement is that there will be no animal ID system during this new development period, which could take years. DeHaven is also critical of the USDA announcement that cattle branding—an outdated form of theft deterrent—will be an acceptable form of animal identification in the new system. "It's hard for me to imagine how this ancient technology will fit into a modern, interstate system to trace animals.”
As opposed to NAIS, which is a national program, the new system will be administered by individual states and tribal nations. Each state and tribal nation will be allowed to use its own system of identification.
"Will these systems developed by individual states and tribal nations be compatible with each other?" Dr. DeHaven asks. "Will we actually be able to trace animals as they move from state to state with different systems in each state or tribal nation?"
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