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Agricultural News


Agricultural Organizations Have Mixed Reactions to USDA's Animal Traceability Rule

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:00:37 CDT

Agricultural Organizations Have Mixed Reactions to USDA's Animal Traceability Rule Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced a proposed rule regarding the establishment of general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate when animal disease events take place. Under the proposed rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate would have to be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates.    


Secretary Vilsack stressed to the media the importance of the public commenting on this new rule. There will be a 90 day period for commenting, ending on November 9. However, many agricultural organizations are already voicing their opinions and comments on this new rule. While the Livestock Marketing Association and R-CALF USA are both skeptical of this proposed rule, other organizations, like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and National Farmers Union, are both fairly pleased with the idea of a new program for animal traceability.


The reactions and comments from the Livestock Marketing Association, R-CALF USA, National Cattlement's Beef Association, National Farmers Union and National Pork Producers Council can be found below.



Livestock Marketing Association

Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) will be carefully reviewing USDA's proposed rule, released today and to be published in the Federal Register Aug. 11, to determine if it meets the markets' expectations: that it is practical, workable and the most cost-effective ID/traceability plan possible for their businesses, their customers, and all segments of the U.S. cattle industry.

The ADT program would be mandatory upon implementation, unlike its predecessor voluntary program, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The basic elements of the new ADT program would (1) apply only to animals moved in interstate commerce; (2) be administered by the states and tribal nations to provide more flexibility; 3) encourage the use of lower-cost technology, and (4) be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rule-making process.

Many of the issues surrounding the proposed ADT program have been worked out between USDA and the industry, and in particular, with the 12 national beef cattle, dairy and marketing organizations brought together by LMA to form the Cattle ID Group (CIDG).

We believe our work and that of the CIDG has been highly successful in developing and re-shaping many elements of the program that USDA is releasing for comment today. While a thorough review of that proposed rule by all the parties involved is certainly called for to determine if areas of concern or disagreement remain, we are confident that any such issues can be worked out through the industry's comments on the proposed rule.

America's livestock markets have long been a focal point for animal identification and livestock disease traceability. For years, LMA has worked long and hard with federal and state authorities, and our industry partners, to shape ID and traceability programs that are practical, workable and cost-effective.

Those are the same elements we expect and need to see in the final ADT program.



R-CALF USA

In direct defiance of fundamental recommendations to preserve branding as a means of official animal identification and to not include cattle less than 18 months of age in any national animal identification system made by R-CALF USA and several other U.S. livestock groups, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today released an early version of its proposed rule to implement a national animal identification system titled "Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate."

The proposed rule would remove the hot-iron brand from among the list of official identification devices that cattle producers could choose to comply with the new federal mandate. It also encompasses cattle less than 18 months of age that would be triggered at USDA's discretion one-year after USDA determines that older-aged cattle are substantially identified.   

"The proposed rule, expected to be published in tomorrow's Federal Register, not only spurns the U.S. livestock industries key recommendations regarding the hot-iron brand and younger cattle, but also, it snubs the critical recommendation by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's own Advisory Committee on Animal Health, which urged the Secretary to provide at least a 120-day public comment period for the proposed rule. Instead, Vilsack is only providing a 90-day public comment period," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.

Bullard said the 90-day comment period will run at a time when tens of thousands of livestock producers are battling perhaps the nation's most widespread and devastating drought and coincides with the cattle industry's busy calf-weaning and calf-shipping season.

According to Bullard, USDA's rejection of its own advisory committee's recommendation to give producers more time to respond to the 114-page proposed rule suggests it already has decided to force this unacceptable mandate on U.S. livestock producers.      

"USDA is running roughshod over the U.S. livestock industry with its bureaucratic 'we know better than the entire industry' attitude," said Bullard adding, "USDA officials have deceived livestock producers by pretending to seriously consider producer recommendations and then springing these unworkable and unacceptable mandates on us in its proposed rule."

"It's obvious that USDA did not listen to the multitude of U.S. livestock producers who participated in the agency's nationwide NAIS (National Animal Identification System) listening sessions in 2009 and overwhelmingly opposed USDA's efforts to force individual identification on younger cattle and any mandate that would limit a producer's choice regarding how they identify their livestock," said R-CALF USA President George Chambers.

Chambers said his group will be calling for new listening sessions to help USDA recall the serious concerns producers raised earlier but have since been either forgotten or ignored.

Chambers said the proposed rule severely restricts producer choices because it removes completely the option for a producer to unilaterally choose to continue using the hot-iron brand when shipping cattle across state lines.

"Under the proposed rule, individual producers cannot choose on their own to continue using the hot-iron brand to identify their cattle. Nor can an individual state on its own choose to identify the cattle leaving their state with a hot-iron brand. Only if two state governments mutually agree to use the now delisted hot-iron brand will that option be available to either U.S. cattle producers or individual states," Chambers said.

He continued to explain, "USDA did not have to attack our industry's hot-iron brand or add younger cattle to the proposed rule in order to improve animal disease traceability in the United States, but we believe it has chosen to do so to appease the World Trade Organization and other international tribunals."

Chambers also explained that the proposed rule itself provides absolute proof that the hot-iron brand remains an effective means of identifying animals in interstate commerce:

The proposed rule expressly allows producers to use hot-iron brands on their horses when shipping across state lines. This provision completely obliterates USDA's feeble argument that it cannot require the 36 non-brand program states to accept a registered brand originating in the 14 brand program states as an official identification device that's precisely what USDA is doing with horses. It's clear USDA is misleading us to achieve some ulterior motive.    

"This proposed rule reduces flexibility and reduces producer choices and we are urging U.S. livestock producers to aggressively oppose the proposed rule," Chambers concluded.



National Cattlemen's Beef Association

National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) proposed animal disease traceability (ADT) rule, which appeared in the Federal Register Aug. 9, 2011.

"Cattlemen's top priority is raising healthy cattle. As such, NCBA is supportive of an ADT program for cattle health purposes. That is why NCBA has been an industry leader working diligently with other cattle groups and USDA's APHIS to ensure cattlemen's concerns are addressed in a new ADT program.

"NCBA commends APHIS for its recent efforts to listen to concerns of America's cattlemen in developing this traceability program. NCBA encourages the agency to continue working with industry leaders on this and all animal health issues. We will carefully analyze and comment on APHIS's proposed ADT rule. NCBA will continue to actively work with like-minded industry groups, state animal health officials and APHIS throughout the entire rulemaking process to ensure the best interests of our members."



National Farmers Union

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiling a proposed rule on animal disease traceability:

"The proposed rule USDA revealed today is a step in the right direction for animal disease traceability. We recognize that this will not prevent disease, but it does create a systematic approach to allow for swift response when there are issues.

"The ability to trace, track and quarantine livestock during a disease outbreak will help minimize the economic impact it will have on the agriculture industry and rural America.

"NFU policy supports USDA's action to leave animal identification for disease management to the states. We encourage USDA to move this rule through the full rulemaking and implementation process quickly."



National Pork Producers Council

The National Pork Producers Council has been a strong advocate for animal traceability for several years. An effective traceability system is critical to the national animal health infrastructure and is required for certification by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).   


The ability to quickly trace diseased and exposed animals during a foreign animal disease outbreak would save millions of animals, lessen the financial burden on the industry and save the American taxpayer millions of dollars. With support from all sectors of the pork industry, approximately 95 percent of pork producer's premises are already registered under the USDA livestock identification program.


NPPC is pleased with today's announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that the long anticipated proposed animal traceability rule will be published for comment in the Federal Register on August 10, 2011. This is a significant step in formalizing an animal traceability program and the pork industry is grateful for USDA's effort.


The industry also looks forward to the opportunity to comment on the proposed new rule and to the publication of a final animal traceability rule. "An effective traceability program would allow U.S. pork to compete more effectively in the international market place with those countries that have already implemented traceability programs" said Doug Wolf, NPPC's President.



   

 

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