National Animal Identification System

 

In Fall of 2003, the American Horse Council (AHC) organized a task force to evaluate the feasibility of standardizing equine identification in the U.S. That task force is now called the Equine Species Working Group (ESWG) and is now officially recognized by the USDA to evaluate the concept of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and its application to the equine industry. The NAIS is a program intended to identify animals and record their movements for the purpose of disease control. The USDA is currently implementing the NAIS on a voluntary basis but it will become mandatory once the program is evaluated and proven to be effective. The ultimate goal of this identification system is to create an effective, uniform national animal tracing system that will help maintain the health of U.S. herds and flocks. When fully operational, it will allow animal tracing to be completed within 48 hours of disease detection, ensuring rapid containment of the disease.

 

Traceback and trace forward are important components in the control and containment of a disease outbreak. When a sick animal is discovered, animal health officials will try to trace the animal’s movements back to the point in which it was infected. This is very important in determining how a disease was introduced. As important is the ability to find any animals that were exposed to the sick animal before the clinical signs of disease became visible. Finding those animals is essential to controlling the spread of disease. The sooner that traceback and traceforward can be done the quicker a disease outbreak can be contained and eradicated.

 

Over the past year several health issues have affected the horse industry in various parts of the country. Diseases including West Nile Virus, Vesicular Stomatitis, as well as Strangles and a severe neurological form of Equine Herpes virus, have negatively affected horse owners and the equine industry. Some of these conditions have resulted in restrictions and regulations on the movement of horses. The NAIS is being developed to prevent the spread of disease and is intended to help limit the negative impacts a disease outbreak can have on the industry.

 

Equine Species Working Group

 

The ESWG consists of over 30 equine organizations and animal health officials, with sub-committees formed to cover the following topics: horse identification technology, premise identification, recording movement, communications, pilot projects, and breed registries. Through the ESWG, the horse industry is evaluating the overall NAIS plan, its benefits and costs, and is determining how the industry can develop standards for equine identification that would fit into the system and benefit the industry.

 

The ESWG has met several times and in December 2004, the group submitted preliminary recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the Department’s plans to initiate a National Animal Identification System. In February 2005, the ESWG held a meeting in Denver, Colorado where the group met with different electronic identification companies to learn about the technology available for electronic equine identification. The group also received an update on the status of the NAIS and reviewed some of the initial recommendations to the USDA. Another important task the group undertook was to do some strategic planning to focus the group on concerns and goals. On July 6th the ESWG submitted comments on the NAIS Draft Program Standards and Draft Strategic Plan released by the USDA. These comments can be viewed, along with the original as well as updated ESWG Recommendations to the USDA on the NAIS, on the ESWG website listed below.

 

Premise Registration

 

The starting point for the NAIS is to identify the locations that manage or hold animals, which are referred to as premises. Each premises will be identified with a unique seven-character identifier called a premises identification number. Many states are offering registration services through their Web sites, either through direct online registration or by posting downloadable forms. These websites can be found through the NAIS website listed below. As of late April, 47 states and 5 tribes have premise registration systems up and running in accordance with NAIS standards, with 72,750 premises registered as of mid May. The goal is to have all 50 states on board by July 2005. The ESWG encourages premise owners to register their property. It is the first step to protecting horses and the industry against the effects of major disease outbreaks.

 

Equine Identification

 

The NAIS Animal Identification Number (AIN) proposed by the USDA is 15 characters of which the first three numbers are the ISO country code for the United States – 840. The most readily compatible identification device to affix this number to a horse is the 11784/11785 microchip, which has 15 characters. This is the same chip that is being utilized in most European countries including the United Kingdom. The European Union has mandated that all horses be assigned a Universal or Unique Equine Life Number (UELN), which also has 15 characters of which the first three are the ISO country code and the second three are a three digit breed code. Both are reasons why the ESWG is recommending the ISO 11784/11785 as the standard of electronic equine identification for the purpose of disease control with the NAIS.

 

 

 

 

(Graphics courtesy of Electronic ID Inc.)

 

 

The ISO/ANSI compatible RFID chip (11784/85, 134.2 kHz) is the recommended standard of electronic equine identification to be uniform and compatible with the United States National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for the purpose of disease control. The recommended implantation site for the microchip is the nuchal ligament on the left side, in the middle third of the neck, halfway between the ears and the withers. Those horses already identified, for example with a 125 kHz microchip, will not be required to implant again, instead the microchip number will be linked to the animal’s assigned AIN within the database.

 

For more information on what the Equine Species Working Group, please visit www.horsecouncil.org/equineid.htm. You can find information regarding the NAIS and Premise Registration, and can review the Draft NAIS Program Standards and Strategic Planning by visiting www.usda.gov/nais.