Agricultural News
Texas Cattle Feeders See a Need for a Mandatory Animal ID System
Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:12:39 CDT
Early in the Obama Administration, there was a lot of interest by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack in pursuing a national Animal ID strategy- he called for and held a series of meetings around the country to gather input- and the political cover to work with House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and House Ag Approps Chairlady Rosa Delauro on a mandatory system.
What happened was a firestorm of criticism from smaller livestock operations as well as horse owners calling anyone who wanted a mandatory program evil. The push against any sort of organized Animal ID program was extremely strong- and the lawmakers who had demanded a mandatory program fell silent, as did the Administration.
More recently, the Obama Administration has proposed a voluntary program that will be administered at the state level- with lots of questions not resolved about how to share data from state to state in a timely manner as well as who pays for this mandate.
At the recent National Cattlemen's Beef Association Legislative Conference, fellow farm broadcaster Andy Vance of Ohio caught up with Mike Engler, Chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. TCFA, based in Amarillo, is normally lined up very closely with positions advocated by the NCBA- but not on Animal ID. Engler, of Cactus Feeders, says his group believes the need for an effective and extremely quick animal disease traceback system cries out for a mandatory program.
Engler's comments are heard in this edition of the Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today. Just click on the Beef Buzz button found on the left hand side of any page on this website.
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