[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71873-71874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24653]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0147]


National Animal Identification System; User Guide and Additional 
Information Resources

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 we are have prepared a revised 
version of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) User Guide 
that was originally released in draft form in November 2006. The 
revised User Guide contains the most current information on how the 
system works and how producers may participate in the NAIS. We are 
making the revised User Guide available for review and comment.

ADDRESSES: The revised User Guide is available on the Internet at 
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/. The document 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: 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In November 2006, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) prepared a document entitled ``National Animal Identification 
System (NAIS): A User Guide and Additional Information Resources.'' The 
document, also known as the Draft User Guide, was intended to provide 
comprehensive information about the NAIS for people and entities 
wishing to participate in the system, which is voluntary at the Federal 
level.
    We originally posted the Draft User Guide on the NAIS Internet Web 
site (http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/) in November 2006. 
Subsequently, we developed two technical guidance documents to 
supplement the Draft User Guide. A notice announcing the availability 
of all three documents for public review and comment was published in 
the Federal Register on February 1, 2007 (72 FR 4680-4681, Docket No. 
APHIS-2007-0007).
    In the February 2007 notice, we stated that the Draft User Guide 
replaced 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 NAIS Implementation Plan 
(announced at 71 FR 17805-17806, April 7, 2006). Those earlier 
documents had provided the opportunity for the public to comment on the 
NAIS as APHIS worked through many issues involving industry and the 
States and Tribes. We received valuable feedback from producers, State 
and Tribal animal health officials, and other interested stakeholders 
regarding those documents and the NAIS. The Draft User Guide that we 
then produced to replace the earlier documents represented the most up-
to-date general information on the NAIS available at the time of its 
release.
    The Draft User Guide provided comprehensive information about 
participating in the NAIS. Part I of the document provided 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 discussed each of the 
NAIS' components in greater detail and provided operational-level ``how 
to'' information and resources. Part II of the document provided 
information about premises registration; Part III of the document 
discussed the animal identification component of the program; and Part 
IV of the document detailed the animal tracing component.
    When we released the Draft User Guide to the public, we noted that 
the program would continue to evolve as details were addressed through 
ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders. Recently, we determined that a 
revision to the Draft User Guide was needed to reflect changes that 
have been made in the program in order to prevent confusion among 
stakeholders about these changes and to provide the most up-to-date 
information on the status of the NAIS. We are, therefore, now making 
available to the public for review and comment an updated version of 
the User Guide. We will accept public comments and stakeholder feedback 
on the document on an ongoing basis (see ADDRESSES above for commenting 
instructions). We expect that as the NAIS continues to evolve, so, too, 
will the User Guide.

[[Page 71874]]

    The revised document incorporates updates to three of the four 
parts of the original Draft User Guide. These changes are discussed 
more fully below.

Part I: Overview of the NAIS

    Benefit-cost analysis.
    In July 2007, APHIS announced that Kansas State University would be 
conducting a benefit-cost analysis, with a final report to be completed 
by July/August 2008. This information has been added to the section of 
the User Guide that discusses the economic benefits of the NAIS in 
order to inform our stakeholders that more complete analysis and 
information will be available in the future.
    Animal Identification Number Device Distribution Databases (AIN 
DDDs).
    References to AIN DDDs have been removed from Part I of the User 
Guide, since the development of these databases is no longer being 
considered, for reasons discussed in greater detail below.

Part III: Animal Identification

    Publication of numbering systems final rule.
    On July 18, 2007, APHIS published in the Federal Register (72 FR 
39301-39307, Docket No. 04-052-2) a final rule that, among other 
things, recognized the AIN as an official means for the identification 
of individual animals in commerce generally and in disease programs. 
This information has now been added to the User Guide's discussion of 
the use of the AIN in the NAIS to ensure that participants are aware 
that the rule was finalized.
    Brand State Working Group.
    When the Draft User Guide was first developed, the Brand State 
Working Group had only recently been formed. Additional information 
about the objectives of the Brand State Working Group has been added to 
the revised User Guide.
    Integration of AIN tags with existing animal health identification 
systems--brucellosis.
    Although several disease programs had begun integrating NAIS-
compliant AIN tags when the Draft User Guide was first published, the 
brucellosis program was listed as one that would be integrating in the 
near future. AIN tags are now recognized as official for use in the 
brucellosis program, if preferred by the producer and if such action 
does not conflict with State regulations. We have added this 
information to the revised User Guide in order to clarify an issue that 
has confused some NAIS participants.
    AIN DDDs.
    Part III of the revised User Guide explains how the distribution 
records of AIN devices will be administered using the AIN Management 
System. At the time of publication of the original Draft User Guide, we 
were considering the use of databases (AIN DDDs) that would be 
maintained by AIN device manufacturers, industry organizations, service 
providers, States, etc., to receive and maintain the records of 
distribution of AIN devices to a premises (the record that indicates 
what AIN was on each AIN device that went to each premises), as opposed 
to having the information received by and maintained in our AIN 
Management System. APHIS had developed potential information technology 
(IT) solutions and program administrative processes to support the 
transition to the AIN DDD infrastructure. We held two public meetings 
(on March 5-6 and on March 12-13, 2007) to discuss these options and to 
explore further the administrative and IT requirements for such 
databases to be practical and effective. At those meetings, various 
sectors of industry, representatives of livestock markets, service 
providers, and individuals who either are, or are planning to be, AIN 
tag managers and AIN tag manufacturers all provided feedback expressing 
significant concerns about the added costs and increased complexity of 
maintaining records in such databases. Based on this feedback, we 
determined that this option did not contribute to a practical and 
efficient system and was not feasible. Therefore, all references to AIN 
DDDs have been removed from the revised User Guide, and APHIS will 
continue to maintain distribution records in the AIN Management System, 
as before.

Part IV: Animal Tracing

    Animal Trace Processing System (ATPS).
    In March 2007, APHIS completed the interim development of the 
ATPS--the Federal portal system that will allow Federal and State 
animal health officials to request information from the administrators 
of private/State animal tracking databases (ATDs). In addition, working 
with State and industry partners, we completed the development of the 
technical requirements necessary for integration of those ATDs with the 
ATPS. The technical requirements are available online, for use by 
organizations with ATDs that are interested in participating in this 
component of the NAIS. Information on this component of the NAIS has 
been updated in the revised User Guide to ensure that stakeholders are 
aware of the potential for participation.
    Comments about the revised User Guide 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.
    The revised User Guide is considered a ``significant guidance 
document'' under the terms of the Office of Management and Budget's 
(OMB) ``Final Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices,'' which was 
published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2007 (72 FR 3432-
3440). To learn more about the OMB bulletin and APHIS' implementation 
of its provisions, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/guidance/.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of December 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-24653 Filed 12-18-07; 8:45 am]
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