[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 21 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4680-4681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1719]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0007]


National Animal Identification System; User Guide and Technical 
Documents

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are making available for 
review and comment three documents related to the National Animal 
Identification System: A Draft User Guide, a Program Standards and 
Technical Reference document, and a technical specification document 
for the animal tracking databases.

ADDRESSES: All three documents are available on the Internet at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/. The documents may also be viewed 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
     Draft User Guide: Dr. Adam Grow; Director, Surveillance 
and Identification Programs, National Center for Animal Health 
Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1231; (301) 734-3752.
     Program Standards and Technical Reference: Dr. John F. 
Wiemers, National Animal Identification Staff, VS, APHIS, 2100 S. Lake 
Storey Road, Galesburg, IL 61401; (309) 344-1942.
     Animal Tracking Databases Technical Specifications 
Document: Mr. Rich Baca, Team Leader, Veterinary Services Application 
Information Management, Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, VS, 
APHIS, 2150 Centre Avenue, Bldg B, Mail Stop 2W4, Fort Collins, CO 
80526; (970) 494-7346.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As part of ongoing efforts to safeguard animal health, the U.S. 
Department of

[[Page 4681]]

Agriculture (USDA) initiated implementation of a 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 purpose of the NAIS is to provide a 
streamlined information system that will help producers and animal 
health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal disease 
events in the United States.
    The first component of the program, premises registration, is well 
underway and the second component, animal identification, is being 
implemented for several species. The third component, animal tracing, 
is currently under development with USDA's State and industry partners. 
Industry, through private systems, and States will manage the animal 
tracking databases that maintain the movement records of animals. These 
information systems will provide the locations of a subject animal and 
the records of other animals that the subject animal came into contact 
with at each premises. Participation in any component of the program is 
voluntary.
    This notice announces the availability of three documents related 
to the National Animal Identification System: A Draft User Guide, a 
Program Standards and Technical Reference document, and a technical 
specification document for the animal tracking databases.

Draft User Guide for the NAIS

    The Draft User Guide provides comprehensive information about 
participating in the NAIS. Part I of the document provides a brief 
overview to familiarize producers with the NAIS, its goals, its 
organizational components, and other information concerning its ongoing 
implementation. The remainder of the document discusses each of the 
NAIS' components in greater detail and provides operational-level ``how 
to'' information and resources. Part II of the document provides 
information about premises registration; Part III of the document 
discusses the animal identification component of the program; and Part 
IV of the document details the animal tracing component.
    The Draft User Guide is the most current plan for the NAIS and 
replaces all previously published program documents, including the 2005 
Draft Strategic Plan and Draft Program Standards (announced at 70 FR 
23961-23963, May 6, 2005) and the 2006 Strategy for the Implementation 
of NAIS (announced at 71 FR 17805-17806, April 7, 2006). Those 
documents provided the opportunity for the public to comment on the 
NAIS as USDA worked through many issues with industry and the States 
and Tribes. USDA received valuable feedback from producers, State 
animal health officials, and other interested stakeholders on the 
documents and on the program, and made adjustments to the program in 
response.
    The Draft User Guide represents the most up-to-date general 
information on NAIS today. The NAIS will continue to evolve as details 
are addressed through ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders.

Program Standards and Technical Reference Document

    The Program Standards and Technical Reference document supplements 
the Draft User Guide and provides, as a separate document, an update 
for the data element standards that were contained in the 2005 Draft 
Program Standards. To ensure a uniform, streamlined information system 
evolves, USDA has established certain data standards, where necessary, 
to facilitate standardization of information in the NAIS. This document 
provides the data element standards and other standards relative to the 
NAIS. Use of these standards by States, Tribes, and industry 
organizations involved in the administration of the system, 
manufacturers of identification devices, and other entities that are 
part of, or that support the NAIS, will ensure that the system is 
effective. Although the Draft User Guide contains valuable information 
about NAIS information systems, this Program Standards document is 
targeted more to entities that are involved in the administration of 
the program, and thus contains details not appropriate for the User 
Guide, which is aimed at producers participating in the program.

Animal Tracking Database Technical Specifications Document

    USDA is developing a single portal, referred to as the Animal Trace 
Processing System (ATPS), to allow authorized State and Federal animal 
health officials to request information from the administrators of the 
animal tracking databases in certain situations:
     An indication (suspect, presumptive positive, etc.) or 
confirmed positive test of a foreign animal disease.
     An animal disease emergency as determined by the Secretary 
of Agriculture and/or State Departments of Agriculture.
     The need to conduct a traceback or traceforward to 
determine the origin of infection for a program disease (brucellosis, 
tuberculosis, etc.).
    To ensure that the privatization of the animal movement tracking 
databases progresses in as timely a manner as possible, APHIS initiated 
the integration of private and State animal tracking databases (ATDs) 
with the NAIS during an interim/development phase to allow 
participation in 2006 and early 2007.
    Organizations that wished to participate requested USDA evaluations 
of their systems for consideration. If the system met the interim 
requirements, the organization had the opportunity to participate in 
the interim cooperative agreement. As of January 15, 2007, APHIS had 
entered into interim cooperative agreements with 14 organizations that 
have databases that meet minimum standards and that wish to support the 
advancement of the integration of private and State animal tracking 
databases with the NAIS.
    Throughout this interim/development phase, USDA continued to work 
with participating organizations to design and develop the ATPS and to 
establish the technical specifications of the ATDs. ATDs in the 
implementation phase will need to fulfill certain technical 
requirements to enable them to integrate with the ATPS. The Animal 
Tracking Database Technical Specifications document contains the 
specifications for establishing compliant animal tracking databases for 
the implementation phase. Applications for the implementation 
(production) phase of the animal tracking databases may be requested by 
contacting Mr. Rich Baca (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Comments about any of these documents or other aspects of the NAIS 
may be submitted to USDA through the NAIS Web site e-mail address: 
[email protected] or by mail to NAIS Program Staff, VS, 
APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 30th day of January 2007.
Nick Gutierrez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-1719 Filed 1-31-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P