[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71871-71873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24656]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0148]


A Business Plan To Advance Animal Disease Traceability

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 making available for 
review and comment a Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease 
Traceability. The Business Plan details recommended strategies and 
actions to enable existing State and Federal regulated and voluntary 
animal health programs, industry-administered management and marketing 
programs, and various animal identification methods to work in harmony 
with the National Animal Identification System.

ADDRESSES: The Business Plan 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: Mr. Neil Hammerschmidt, Coordinator, 
National Animal Identification System, National Center for Animal 
Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 734-5571.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard animal health, the U.S. 
Department of 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 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. Meeting that goal requires a comprehensive 
animal-disease traceability infrastructure. We have therefore developed 
a Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease Traceability. The Business 
Plan details recommended strategies and actions to enable existing 
State and Federal regulated and voluntary animal health programs, 
industry-administered management and marketing programs, and various 
animal identification methods to work in harmony in the NAIS. The 
document also includes budget summaries and fiscal year 2008 budget 
plans, as well as species-specific performance goals and timelines. 
Elements of the Business Plan are discussed in greater detail below. We 
are now making the document available to the public for review and 
comment. We will solicit public comments and stakeholder feedback 
through the NAIS Web site.

Strategies

Strategy 1: Prioritize Species/Sectors

    Prioritization of species and sectors will ensure that resources 
are applied where traceability advances are of the highest importance. 
The Business Plan first categorizes species based on existing tracing 
capabilities and the need for improvement. Priority species include the 
primary commercial food animal industries: Cattle, poultry (chickens 
and turkeys), swine, sheep, and goats. Equines are also included as a 
priority species because the frequency with which some horses are moved 
significant differences to one or more events where they are commingled 
with other horses that also may have been moved long distances from a 
variety of premises of origin raises concerns about the spread of 
disease. Additionally, sectors within each of the species referred to 
above have been prioritized to advance traceability where it is most 
needed.

Strategy 2: Harmonize Animal Identification Systems

    The need for unique animal identification in government and 
industry programs is accelerating. As a result, producers are seeking 
improved and flexible identification methods and compatible processes 
and data standards that may be used for multiple purposes. The 
harmonization of animal identification systems will result in more 
cost-effective options, benefiting producers while achieving increased 
animal disease traceability for the entire industry.

Strategy 3: Standardize Data Elements for Disease Programs To Ensure 
Compatibility

    APHIS will take steps to standardize data elements and make use of 
the standards in existing disease programs. Additionally, APHIS will 
consider a regulation to require the use of certain standardized data 
elements for import/export regulations, including the standardized 
premises identification number (PIN) to identify premises importing and 
exporting livestock. The use of the PIN on interstate certificates of 
veterinary inspection will also be facilitated and encouraged. The 
information on locations participating in official disease control 
programs and on the animals' origin and destination premises that would 
be listed on interstate certificates of veterinary inspection and on 
import/export health certificates would greatly enhance animal disease 
tracing and emergency response capabilities.

Strategy 4: Integrate Automated Data Capture Technologies Into Disease 
Programs

    APHIS will take steps to integrate electronic data capture and 
reporting technologies into existing disease programs. By using NAIS-
compliant identification devices that support automated data capture 
technology and integrating handheld computers and readers to replace 
paper-based forms, animal health officials will be able to 
electronically record and submit essential data to the USDA's Animal 
Health and Surveillance Monitoring database and other appropriate 
animal health databases. We anticipate that the electronic collection 
of data will increase volume and quality, minimize data errors, and 
speed data entry into a searchable database.

Strategy 5: Partner With States

    Working in close partnership with State, Tribal, and Territorial 
officials, APHIS will continue to facilitate the development of each 
State's animal disease traceability infrastructure. Each State's animal 
health officials will administer and manage localized plans reflecting 
the animal health priorities in individual regions.

Strategy 6: Collaborate With Industry and Sectors

    Producer organizations, representing member interests, can 
accelerate the adoption of practices that advance traceability. APHIS 
has entered into cooperative agreements with nonprofit industry 
organizations to promote premises registration within various species 
groups. Collaboration with USDA-accredited veterinarians will 
facilitate the delivery of accurate information to clients, as well as 
enhance the adoption of animal identification data elements in everyday 
production management systems and disease-program activities at the 
producer level. Additional partnership efforts with industry alliances, 
service providers, auction markets, feedlots, harvesting facilities, 
and other industry sectors are a priority for APHIS.

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Strategy 7: Advance Identification Technologies

    Continued advancements in traceability require practical, 
affordable technology solutions that improve the efficiency and 
accuracy of animal identification data collection. APHIS will 
collaborate with stakeholders to facilitate the development of 
performance standards for identification devices and evaluate emerging 
technologies, with emphasis on systems that can operate at the ``speed 
of commerce.''

Outcomes and Timelines

    Because the need to advance traceability differs among the various 
species and sectors, it is important for us to establish clear 
priorities as we proceed with implementing the NAIS. Targeted timelines 
for key strategies and actions will guide the implementation of these 
priorities. Due in part to its size and diversification, the cattle 
industry, at this time, has the greatest need to advance traceability, 
including increasing the level of official identification. These 
challenges require more resources and time to achieve optimum tracing 
capability for the industry.

Achieving Necessary Participation

    The seven strategies discussed above are designed to increase 
involvement in the NAIS in order to achieve a ``critical mass'' of 
participation, at which point at least 70 percent of the animals in a 
specific species would be identified and traceable either to their 
premises of origin, (e.g., cattle, sheep and goats) or to their last 
production premises (e.g., swine and poultry). This performance measure 
will enable us to gauge the progress being made towards the 
participation levels necessary to achieve the optimum traceability 
goal; the 70 percent figure is an interim measurement designed to 
support incremental advancement, particularly in the cattle industry, 
where significant improvement is necessary.
    Comments about the Business Plan 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 14th day of December 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-24656 Filed 12-18-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P