[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 67 (Friday, April 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17805-17806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-3412]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 2006 / 
Notices  

[[Page 17805]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS 2006-0030]


National Animal Identification System (NAIS); Implementation Plan 
and Integration of Private and State Animal Tracking Databases With the 
NAIS

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of three documents 
related to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS): A document 
that provides an update on the implementation plans, including 
operational milestones and participation goals; a document describing 
how private and State animal tracking databases may be integrated into 
the NAIS to provide animal health officials with animal movement 
information on an as-needed basis; and, in connection with the animal 
tracking databases document, a template for a cooperative agreement 
that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service may enter into with 
organizations that wish to participate in the animal tracking database 
component of the NAIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Neil Hammerschmidt, National 
Coordinator, National Animal Identification System, VS, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-5571.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As part of ongoing efforts to safeguard animal health, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated implementation of the 
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004. The NAIS is a 
cooperative State-Federal-industry program administered by USDA's 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The main objective 
of the NAIS is to develop and implement a comprehensive information 
system which will support ongoing animal disease programs and enable 
State and Federal animal health officials to respond rapidly and 
effectively to animal health emergencies such as foreign animal disease 
outbreaks or emerging domestic diseases.
    The NAIS is being developed to facilitate rapid tracing in the 
event of an outbreak of an animal disease of concern. Working groups 
have been formed and are developing plans for camelids (llamas and 
alpacas), cattle and bison, cervids (deer and elk), equine, goats, 
poultry, sheep, and swine. The ultimate long-term goal of the NAIS is 
to provide State and Federal officials with the capability to identify 
all animals and premises that have had direct contact with a disease of 
concern within 48 hours after discovery. A document providing an update 
on the implementation plans for the NAIS, titled ``National Animal 
Identification System (NAIS)--Strategies for the Implementation of 
NAIS,'' is available at http://www.usda.gov/nais or at http://www.regulations.gov. Paper copies also may be requested by calling or 
writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
Please refer to the title of the document when requesting copies.
    Currently a voluntary system, the NAIS will be established through 
a phased-in approach by implementing three key components: Premises 
registration, animal identification, and animal tracking. The USDA has 
already developed information systems to support the first two 
components. The third component will developed through a government/
industry partnership, in which animal movement information will be 
maintained in private and/or State databases and made available to 
APHIS as needed in specific situations to trace animal movements.
    The USDA's objective is to support the privatization of the animal 
tracking information component of the NAIS in the most practical and 
timely and least burdensome manner possible. We have determined that 
this can best be achieved by establishing a system that will allow the 
Federal Government to access information in multiple databases through 
a single portal, using a metadata layer (or portal) architecture.
    A document entitled ``Integration of Private and State Animal 
Tracking Databases with the NAIS; Interim Development Phase,'' presents 
our initial plans for moving forward with the implementation of this 
system. The document describes the Animal Trace Processing System 
(ATPS), a system for processing animal movement data. A two-phase plan 
for implementing the ATPS is also described. The plan consists of an 
interim/development phase, which is set to begin in 2006, and an 
implementation phase, which is targeted for early 2007. Finally, the 
document provides data standards and technical requirements and 
specifications that databases must meet to be eligible for 
participation in the interim phase.
    The ATPS, which will be managed by APHIS, is an information system 
that includes the metadata portal or system and related functionality 
for processing the animal movement records returned to APHIS from 
participating animal tracking databases (ATDs) within our Animal Health 
Information System. The ATPS will also provide the security, the 
interfaces and communication platform, and the auditing process for 
participating ATDs, and will enable us to integrate other relevant data 
from other APHIS-managed systems within the APHIS'' Animal Health 
Information System. The ATPS will be utilized by both Federal and State 
animal health officials to submit queries to the ADTs.
    Metadata is usually defined as ``data about the data.'' Using the 
metadata portal architecture, the Federal Government would regularly 
and routinely receive information from each participating NAIS database 
about which animal and premises identification numbers were tracked in 
each database, but would receive animal movement information only when 
such data are needed to support an animal disease program or 
investigation. In such a situation, the Federal Government's part of 
the system would query only those source systems that contain the 
animal and premises identification numbers needed. Other systems would 
not need to be queried, which would lessen the input and output burden 
on those systems. No animal movement records would be

[[Page 17806]]

stored permanently by the metadata portal.
    The metadata system would provide the greatest flexibility for 
affected industries and stakeholders. While organizations that wish to 
consolidate their tracking data could still do so, and would be 
encouraged to do so, most of the existing industry and State systems 
would be able to continue collecting and storing information in much 
the same way they do now.
    To ``jump start'' the integration of private and State ATDs into 
the NAIS, APHIS has designed an interim/development phase that will 
allow interested organizations to participate in early 2006. During 
this interim/development phase, APHIS will enter into a cooperative 
agreement (CA) for the integration of the ATD with any organization 
that has a qualifying database(s) and that wishes to support the 
advancement of the integration of private and State animal tracking/
movement systems into the NAIS.
    Included in the current document are the data standards and 
technical requirements and specifications that an organization's ATDs 
must meet to be eligible to participate in the interim/ development 
phase of the ATPS. Organizations must complete the ``Request for 
Evaluation of Interim Private/State Animal Tracking Database'' to 
initiate an APHIS review of their systems. If its system meets the 
interim requirements, an organization may elect to enter into a CA with 
APHIS. The CA will ensure that animal health officials have access to 
the information contained in the ATD when necessary to perform their 
duties. Entering into a CA does not imply that an organization's ATD 
will be eligible to participate in the NAIS as a fully compliant system 
after ATPS implementation is completed and final eligibility 
requirements are established.
    During the interim/development phase, APHIS, in cooperation with 
stakeholders, will continue to develop the complete requirements for 
the integration of private and State ATDs with the NAIS. Systems that 
meet these specifications will be defined as ``NAIS Compliant Animal 
Tracking Databases'' upon the signing of the agreement with the 
organization responsible for the information system. It is anticipated 
that the requirements for compliant systems will be completed by late 
2006, and actual integration, by early 2007.
    APHIS will establish an agreement with each participating 
organization that maintains a database with animal tracking information 
and that elects to provide access to the information according to the 
NAIS requirements. In addition to outlining data elements and access 
and operating procedures, the agreement will also stipulate how 
movement data will be archived and transferred in the event the 
organization and/or technology company ceases business or elects to 
discontinue the operation of the ATD.
    The document regarding the integration of private and state ATDs 
with the NAIS, and a template of the CA, may be viewed on the Internet 
at http://www.usda.gov/nais or at http://www.regulations.gov. You may 
request paper copies of the document by calling or writing to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to 
the title of the document (``Integration of Private and State Animal 
Tracking Databases with the NAIS; Interim Development Phase'') when 
requesting copies.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 5th day of April 2006.
W. Ron DeHaven,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 06-3412 Filed 4-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P