[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S55]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER:
  S. 2008. A bill to amend the Animal Health Protection Act to direct 
the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an electronic nationwide 
livestock identification system, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I am now introducing legislation 
identified as the National Farm Animal Identification Records Act on 
behalf of Senator Leahy and myself.
  Less than a month ago, on December 25, a case of mad cow disease was 
diagnosed in a single nonambulatory dairy cow that was slaughtered in 
Washington State. This cow belonged to a herd of some 82 dairy cows 
which were cleared for clearance in the United States in 2002. This 
case of mad cow disease has caused quite an alarm, with enormous impact 
on the industry for providing meats in the United States. It has caused 
a lot of concern throughout the country.
  This legislation is directed to having an identification system, an 
electronic nationwide livestock identification system which will enable 
the Federal Government, the Department of Agriculture, to identify 
animals. There is a chip in the animal's ear and it will be possible to 
identify the animals and where they came from so that in the event 
there is any diagnosis of mad cow disease, there will be a way to deal 
with it and to prevent its spread and provide public confidence that 
the meat is not infected with mad cow disease.
  This disease has had a very major impact on the livestock industry, 
touching Pennsylvania, my State, as well as many other States in the 
country. This is a salutary, preventive legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent a full copy of the text be printed in the 
Congressional Record following my statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                                S. 2008

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``National Farm Animal 
     Identification and Records Act''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONWIDE LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM; REVIEW OF 
                   USDA RESPONSES TO OUTBREAKS OF DISEASE IN 
                   LIVESTOCK.

       Section 10411 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 
     8310) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Nationwide Livestock Identification System.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall establish 
     an electronic nationwide livestock identification system for 
     the identification of individual animals to enhance the speed 
     and accuracy of the response of the Department of Agriculture 
     to outbreaks of disease in livestock.
       ``(2) Capabilities.--The livestock identification system 
     shall be capable of tracing, within 48 hours, an individual 
     animal from birth to slaughter.
       ``(3) Participation by states.--The States shall provide 
     information for inclusion in, and shall have access to, the 
     livestock identification system.
       ``(4) Use of existing technology.--The Secretary may use 
     technology developed by private entities before the date of 
     enactment of this subsection to operate the livestock 
     identification system.
       ``(5) Financial assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
     financial assistance to producers to assist the producers in 
     complying with the livestock identification system.
       ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this subsection for fiscal 
     year 2004 $50,000,000, of which $25,000,000 shall be 
     available to carry out paragraph (5).
       ``(g) Review of Responses to Outbreaks of Disease.--The 
     Secretary may appoint an international panel of scientific 
     experts to provide an objective review of a response by the 
     Department of Agriculture to an outbreak of disease in 
     livestock and identify areas for improvements in such 
     responses.''.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the National Farm 
Animal Identification and Records Act or the FAIR Act, with my friend 
and colleague Senator Specter. This legislation would establish a 
uniform national electronic animal identification program to trace 
animals from birth to slaughter, within 48 hours, in order to combat 
animal disease outbreaks.
  As the recent discovery of a cow infected with bovine spongiform 
encephalopathy, BSE, or mad cow disease, in Washington State 
demonstrated, a verifiable nationwide animal identification system is 
urgently needed to enhance the speed and accuracy of USDA's response to 
disease outbreaks. Unfortunately to date only, 23 of the 81 cows that 
came from Canada with the infected mad cow have been able to be located 
because of inadequate records. The National Farm Animal Identification 
and Records Act FAIR Act would require the Department of Agriculture to 
establish a national animal identification program for individual 
animals that could trace an animal's history within 48 hours.
  As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry 
Committee, I have long advocated for the establishment of a national 
animal identification system. For the last 5 years I have worked with 
the Holstein Association in Brattleboro, Vermont to begin the process 
of creating a national animal identification program. The Holstein 
Association's pilot program, a precursor to this national animal 
identification program legislation, electronically identifies 
individual animals and tracks their movements from birth to slaughter 
within 48 hours. To date Holstein's pilot program has close to a 
million bovines enrolled from over 7000 farms in 42 States and has 
proven its electronic animal tracking capabilities.
  The Holstein project demonstrates electronically tracing individual 
animals immediately is achievable. The technology and expertise 
developed by the Holstein Association is a prime example of how the 
Department could immediately begin tracking individual newborn animals 
electronically with a system similar to National FAIR. The Holstein 
Association could be an important partner with USDA in reducing the 
impact of future animal diseases.
  I would also like to applaud Secretary Veneman's announcement last 
month of additional mad cow safeguards, including moving toward a 
national animal identification system. I believe this was a positive 
step toward protecting American farmers and consumers. Unfortunately 
USDA's current plans do not call for individual animal identification 
to be completed until mid 2006. The FAIR Act would require the 
Department to begin implementation of a national system within months 
of passage. In addition, it is clear USDA will need additional 
resources to carry out a national animal identification program, thus 
our legislation will provide additional funding for USDA to begin this 
work immediately. Furthermore to ensure producers are not hurt by the 
potential costs of a national system, our bill will provide financial 
assistance for producers to carry out a national identification system.
  It is time for the United States to take serious steps to combat 
animal diseases, like BSE, that have broad public health implications 
for our Nation. A national animal identification program is long 
overdue. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
                                 ______