| USDA
Secretary Mike Johanns said his Department will be accepting
funding applications from state and tribal governments to
continue registering premises for the national animal identification
system. Approximately $14.3 million will be available to
state and tribal cooperators.
"Identifying
farms and ranches where animals are held is a first step
in establishing our national animal identification system,"
Johanns commented. "More than 80,000 premises have been
registered so far and that momentum is building."
Currently,
animal health officials conduct disease trace backs with
systems already in place, such as records related to program
diseases, on-farm recordkeeping, required interstate movement
certificates, and breed registries. However, USDA believes
these epidemiologic investigations may take days to weeks
to complete because records are often kept on paper or because
they are not standardized among states.
In
2004, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
and its state, tribal, and industry partners began implementing
a national system that will help trace diseased or potentially
diseased animals to their point of origin more quickly and
efficiently. "Identifying premises -- or locations that
manage or hold animals -- is the first step toward creating
the tracking system," USDA said in a release. Currently,
47 states and five tribes have approved premises registration
systems, and APHIS anticipates that all 50 states will be
on board by July 2005, the release continued.
The
$14.3 million will help state and tribal governments continue
the premises registration efforts they started last year.
Of this total, $13.5 million will be immediately available
to the states. A portion has been set aside for each one
based on its livestock population, land area, and other
factors. To receive funding, applicants must submit a detailed
work plan and budget breakout, as well as performance measures.
|
