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NATIONAL
ANIMAL
IDENTIFICATION
SYSTEM:
NPGA’S
POSITION
by
Ray
Hoyt,
NPGA
President
The
U.S.
Department
of
Agriculture
officially
recognized
this
program
on
11/8/04.
The
following
livestock
species
are
affected:
camelids
(llamas
&
alpacas),
cattle
&
bison,
cervids
(deer
&
elk),
equine,
goats,
poultry,
sheep
and
swine.
USDA
said
then,
and
continues
to
say,
that
NAIS
is
a
voluntary
program
with
respect
to
livestock
owners
and
breeders.
It
is
clear,
however,
that
it
is
USDA’s
ultimate
goal
to
make
compliance
with
NAIS
mandatory.
The
system
comprises
three
key
components,
to
be
sequentially
established
over
time:
Phase
one,
Premises
Identification,
is
being
done
through
state
veterinarians,
who
have
been
trained
by
USDA
in
a
standardized
registration
system.
The
Premises
Identification
system
registers
premises
with
a
seven-character
number
which
has
been
integrated
into
a
nationwide
database.
Implementation
of
the
second
and
third
phases
of
NAIS
is
not
going
as
smoothly
as
USDA
would
like.
Regarding
phase
two,
Breed
organizations
like
NPGA
that
already
have
identification
systems
in
use
are
very
resistant
to
the
prospects
of
having
the
government
dictate
a
change
to
those
systems.
Governmental
suggestions
to
standardize
the
methods
(tattoos,
eartags,
retinal
scans,
and/or
microchipping
for
example)
or
the
composition
of
the
ID
system
(number
and
type
of
characters,
inclusion
of
a
state
and/or
Premise
prefix,
etc.)
are
being
met
with
major
opposition.
Since
phase
three
is
wholly
dependent
on
phase
two,
discussions
on
this
phase
have
not
begun
with
any
degree
of
specificity.
Many
NAIS
opponents
claim
that
NAIS
represents
an
unnecessarily
broad
intrusion
by
the
government
into
the
right
of
livestock
owners
to
breed,
raise
and
sell
animals
as
they
see
fit.
They
claim
that
the
government
has
failed
to
meet
its
burden
that
such
intrusion
is
warranted
by
an
overwhelming
need
to
protect
the
health
and
safety
of
the
public.
There
are
a
number
of
groups
that
have
become
highly
visible
in
their
reaction
to
NAIS.
Websites
have
sprung
up,
press
releases
have
been
made,
lawsuits
have
been
filed,
and
politicians
have
been
heard
from
on
both
sides
of
the
issues.
Largely
with
the
assistance
of
some
of
our
members,
I
have
collected
much
of
this
information
in
an
effort
to
stay
informed.
For
the
past
five
years
or
so,
I
have
been
attempting
to
keep
abreast
of
what
is
happening
with
NAIS,
how
USDA
is
reacting
to
major
resistance
to
its
implementation,
how
other
breed
organizations
are
dealing
with
NAIS,
and
actions
at
the
state
level
in
either
rejecting
or
embracing
NAIS.
Your
Board
of
Directors
has
repeatedly
taken
the
position
that
NPGA’s
interests
and
the
interests
of
its
members
are
better
served
by
staying
informed
on
the
issues
rather
than
dictating
a
firm
position,
pro
or
con,
on
behalf
of
our
members,
some
of
whom
may
disagree
with
such
Board
mandate.
At
every
Board
meeting
since
NAIS
came
into
existence,
a
report
to
the
Board
has
been
made
outlining
the
issues
as
they
unfold.
The
Board’s
continued
decision
to
supply
information
to
its
membership
so
they
can
make
their
own
choices
remains
its
official
policy.
As
always,
if
any
of
the
membership
has
any
questions
about
NAIS
or
concerns
about
how
NPGA
as
an
organization
is
treating
NAIS,
please
contact
me.
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