NATIONAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Friday, February 5, 2010

Vilsack Announces New NAIS Guidelines

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the Agriculture Department will develop a new, flexible framework for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and will undertake several other actions to further strengthen its disease prevention and response capabilities.

“After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification System in 15 cities across the country, receiving thousands of comments from the public and input from states, tribal nations, industry groups, and representatives for small and organic farmers, it is apparent that a new strategy for animal disease traceability is needed,” Vilsack said. “I’ve decided to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach to animal disease traceability with changes that respond directly to the feedback we heard.”

Among the changes, NAIS will only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce and will be administered by the states and tribal nations to provide more flexibility. It will also encourage the use of lower-cost technology and be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rulemaking process.