[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 87 (Friday, May 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23961-23963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9113]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 87 / Friday, May 6, 2005 / Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 05-015-1]


National Animal Identification System; Notice of Availability of 
a Draft Strategic Plan and Draft Program Standards

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 a Draft Strategic Plan and a 
Draft Program Standards document for the National Animal Identification 
System (NAIS) are being made available for public review and comment. 
The Draft Strategic Plan describes the process of developing the NAIS, 
in particular the timeline for full implementation, while the Draft 
Program Standards document presents our current view of how the system 
would work when fully implemented.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June 
6, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     EDOCKET: Go to http://www.epa.gov/feddocket to submit or 
view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the 
official public docket, and to access those documents in the public 
docket that are available electronically. Once you have entered 
EDOCKET, click on the ``View Open APHIS Dockets'' link to locate this 
document.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies 
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 05-015-1, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your 
comment refers to Docket No. 05-015-1.
    Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the 
environmental assessment 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.
    Other Information: You may view APHIS documents published in the 
Federal Register and related information on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Neil Hammerschmidt, Animal 
Identification Officer, Eradication and Surveillance Team, National 
Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 43, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-5571; or Dr. John F. Wiemers, 
National Animal Identification Staff, VS, APHIS, 2100 S. Lake Storey 
Road, Galesburg, IL 61401; (309) 344-1942.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On December 30, 2003, the Secretary of Agriculture announced that 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would expedite the 
implementation of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for 
all animal species after the discovery of bovine spongiform 
encephalopathy in a cow in Washington State. On April 27, 2004, 
following several months of development, the Secretary announced the 
framework for implementation of a NAIS designed to provide a unique 
identification number for agricultural premises and animals so that 
diseases can be more quickly contained and eradicated. The Secretary 
also announced that $18.8 million would be transferred from the 
Department's Commodity Credit Corporation to provide initial funding 
for the program during fiscal year (FY) 2004. The FY 2004 funding was 
earmarked for the initial infrastructure development and implementation 
of the NAIS, but both private and public support will be required to 
make it fully operational.
    The NAIS will be implemented in several phases over time. 
Currently, the registration of premises, i.e., the locations where 
livestock are raised or held, is the primary activity of the NAIS. The 
second phase will involve the identification of animals. Certain 
species, such as cattle, will require individual identification, which 
will be accomplished by attaching to the animal an approved 
identification tag or device bearing an animal identification number 
(AIN). The AIN may be cross-referenced or linked to other technologies 
(e.g., radio frequency identification, retinal image, DNA, etc.) to 
automate the collection of the animal's number or to verify the 
animal's identification. Other species, such as swine and poultry, 
typically move through the production chain in groups or lots. These 
animals may be eligible for identification as a group.
    In order to facilitate the implementation of the NAIS, on November 
8, 2004, we published in the Federal Register (69 FR 64644-64651, 
Docket No. 04-052-1) an interim rule that, among other things, amended 
the regulations to recognize additional numbering systems for the 
identification of animals in interstate commerce and State/Federal/
industry cooperative disease control and eradication programs and to 
redefine the numbering system used to identify premises where animals 
are managed or held. Specifically, the interim rule recognized the AIN 
as an official numbering system for the identification of individual 
animals, the group/lot identification number (GIN) for the 
identification of groups or lots of animals within the same production 
system, and the seven-character premises identification number (PIN) 
for the identification of premises in the NAIS. Use of the new 
numbering systems was not, however, required as a result of the interim 
rule. Finally, the interim rule amended the regulations to prohibit the 
removal of official identification devices and to eliminate potential 
regulatory obstacles to the recognition of emerging technologies that 
could offer viable alternatives to existing animal identification 
devices and methods.
    As part of the ongoing NAIS development process, the USDA's Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has completed a Draft 
Strategic Plan and a Draft Program

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Standards document. The NAIS Draft Strategic Plan, which covers the 
years 2005 to 2009, presents our current view of how the NAIS 
implementation process will unfold. The document provides a history of 
the NAIS' development to this point and examines some of the critical 
issues that must be dealt with in the course of implementing the 
system, including such stakeholder concerns as cost, confidentiality, 
flexibility, and liability. The Draft Strategic Plan also discusses the 
goals, key components, and guiding principles of the NAIS; APHIS' role 
in managing the system; and the means by which success will be 
measured. A timeline for full implementation of the NAIS is presented, 
as well as an outline of a five-stage State status designation process 
designed to measure progress toward that goal. The NAIS Draft Program 
Standards document, on the other hand, presents our current view of how 
the NAIS would work when fully implemented. The document contains, 
among other things, data standards for key components of the NAIS; 
descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of APHIS, State and 
tribal governments, and producers and other stakeholders in 
administering the NAIS; flow charts illustrating the workings of the 
system; identification and reporting requirements for animals moved 
within the United States, exported from the United States, and imported 
into the United States; species-specific procedures and requirements; 
an outline of the State status designation process referred to above; 
and definitions of key terms. Both documents are works in progress and 
will continue to be updated as more details are worked out. Updates 
will be posted on our Web site as they are made.
    We are making the NAIS Draft Strategic Plan and the NAIS Draft 
Program Standards available to the public for review and comment. We 
will consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed 
under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice.
    Though we will consider comments on any issues pertaining to the 
two documents, there are certain topics on which we would particularly 
like to solicit feedback from the public. Please consider the following 
questions in your comments:
     The Draft Strategic Plan calls for making the entire 
system mandatory by January 2009. Is a mandatory identification program 
necessary to achieve a successful animal disease surveillance, 
monitoring, and response system to support Federal animal health 
programs? Please explain why or why not.
     In the current Draft Strategic Plan, the NAIS would 
require that producers be responsible for having their animals 
identified before the animals move to a premises where they are to be 
commingled with other animals, such as a sale barn. At what point and 
how should compliance be ensured? For example, should market managers, 
fair managers, etc., be responsible for ensuring compliance with this 
requirement before animals are unloaded at their facility or event? 
Please give the reasons for your response.
     In regard to cattle, individual identification would be 
achieved with an AIN tag that would be attached to the animal's left 
ear. It is acknowledged that some producers do not have the facilities 
to tag their animals; thus, the Draft Program Standards document 
contains an option for tagging sites, which are authorized premises 
where owners or persons responsible for cattle could have the cattle 
sent to have AIN tags applied. Do you think this is a viable option, 
i.e., can markets or other locations successfully provide this service 
to producers who are unable to tag their cattle at their farms? Please 
give the reasons for your response.
     The current Draft Strategic Plan does not specify how 
compliance with identification and movement reporting requirements will 
be achieved when the sale is direct between a buyer and seller (or 
through their agents). In what manner should compliance with these 
requirements be achieved? Who should be responsible for meeting these 
requirements? How can these types of transactions be inputted into the 
NAIS to obtain the necessary information in the least costly, most 
efficient manner?
     USDA suggests that animals should be identified anytime 
prior to entering commerce or being commingled with animals from other 
premises. Is this recommendation adequate to achieve timely traceback 
capabilities to support animal health programs or should a timeframe 
(age limit) for identifying the animals be considered? Please give the 
reasons for your response.
     Are the timelines for implementing the NAIS, as discussed 
in the Draft Strategic Plan, realistic, too aggressive (i.e., allow too 
little time), or not aggressive enough (i.e., do not ensure that the 
NAIS will be implemented in a timely manner)? Please give the reasons 
for your response.
     Should requirements for all species be implemented within 
the same timelines, or should some flexibility be allowed? Please give 
the reasons for your response.
     What are the most cost-effective and efficient ways for 
submitting information to the database (entered via the Internet, file 
transfer from a herd-management computer system, mail, phone, third-
party submission of data)? Does the type of entity (e.g., producer, 
market, slaughterhouse), the size of the entity, or other factors make 
some methods for information submission more or less practical, costly, 
or efficient? Please provide supporting information if possible.
     We are aware that many producers are concerned about the 
confidentiality of the information collected in the NAIS. Given the 
information identified in the draft documents, what specific 
information do you believe should be protected from disclosure and why?
     The NAIS as planned would require States, producers, and 
other participating entities to provide information and develop and 
maintain records. How could we best minimize the burden associated with 
these requirements? For example, should both the seller and the buyer 
of a specific group of animals report the movement of the animals, or 
is reporting by one party adequate?
    A key issue in the development of the NAIS concerns the management 
of animal tracking information. Animal heath officials must have 
immediate, reliable, and uninterrupted access to essential NAIS 
information for routine surveillance activities and in the event of a 
disease outbreak. APHIS determined that this goal could best be 
achieved by having the data repositories managed by APHIS. The Draft 
Program Standards document provides for two main NAIS information 
repositories: The National Premises Information Repository and the 
National Animal Records Repository. The National Premises Information 
Repository would maintain data on each production and animal holding 
location (contact name, address, phone number, type of operation, 
etc.). The National Animal Records Repository would maintain animal 
identification and movement data.
    Recently, however, an industry-led initiative suggested a privately 
managed database as an alternative for the management of data on animal 
tracking in the NAIS. The industry group stated that a private database 
would ensure that the needs of both government and industry would be 
fulfilled, and that the flow of information throughout the NAIS would 
be maintained in a secure and confidential manner.

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    APHIS is requesting comment from stakeholders regarding the utility 
of a privately managed database for holding animal location and 
movement information. Among the issues you may wish to comment on are 
the following:
     How should a private database system be funded? Please 
give the reasons for your response.
     Should the NAIS allow for multiple privately managed 
databases? Please explain why or why not.
     Should a public (government) system be made available as 
well as a privately managed system so that producers would have a 
choice? Please give the reasons for your response.
     Should a privately managed system include all species? 
Please give the reasons for your response.
     Would either system work equally well at the State level? 
Please explain why or why not.
    The NAIS Draft Strategic Plan and the NAIS Draft Program Standards 
may be viewed on the Internet at http://www.usda.gov/nais. The 
documents may also be accessed through EDOCKET (see ADDRESSES above for 
instructions for accessing EDOCKET). You may request paper copies of 
the documents by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the titles of the 
documents when requesting copies. The documents are also available for 
review in our reading room (information on the location and hours of 
the reading room is listed under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning 
of this notice).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of May 2005.
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 05-9113 Filed 5-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P