USDA Seeks Comment on
NAIS Documents
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has requested comments on three National Animal
Identification System (NAIS) documents: (1) a Draft User Guide, (2) a
Program Standards and Technical Reference document, and (3) a technical
specification document for the animal tracking databases.
The NAIS is a voluntary system intended to control the spread of disease and
to minimize the negative impact of a disease outbreak on the livestock
industry. This would be done through the identification of premises that
hold or manage livestock, a program component which is well under way;
animal identification, which is currently being implemented for several
species; and the recording of some animal movements, which is under
development.
The Draft User Guide is the most current plan for the NAIS, providing
comprehensive information about participation in the program. It replaces
all other previously published program documents. Part I of the guide gives
an overview of the program, its goals and components, information on its
continual implementation, and "how-to" information. Part II is on premises
registration, Part III discusses animal identification, and Part IV looks at
the animal tracing component of the program.
The Program Standards and Technical Reference Document is a supplement to
the Draft User Guide that is targeted to those involved in the
administration of the NAIS. It updates the data element standards from the
2005 Draft Program Standards.
The Animal Tracking Database Technical Specifications Document contains the
requirements for animal tracking databases for the implementation phase of
the final NAIS component, animal movement recording. For this segment of the
program, USDA is developing a single portal called the Animal Trace
Processing System (ATPS)which allows authorized animal health officials to
request information from privately-held animal-tracking databases in the
case of a disease emergency. Organizations were given the opportunity to
apply for an interim cooperative agreement with USDA to house the animal
tracking data. As of January 15, 2007, APHIS entered into these interim
cooperative agreements with 14 organizations whose databases met the minimum
standards. USDA continued to work with these organizations in developing
their ATPS and to establish the technical specifications during the
development phase. The animal tracking databases will have to meet the
specified technical requirements in order to integrate into the Animal Trace
Processing System.
These NAIS documents can be found on at www. usda. gov/nais. Comments on any
of these documents or any other aspect of the NAIS may be submitted to USDA
through email at
animalidcomment@aphis.usda.gov or by mail to the following address:
NAIS Program Staff, VS, APHIS
4700 River Road, Unit 200
Riverdale, MD 20737
