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America’s farmers and ranchers need and deserve an animal identification system that allows the government to respond quickly and effectively to an animal health emergency. They also expect a national system to protect the integrity and privacy of their private business information.
I am concerned that the USDA has stopped short of proposing a system that meets the needs of U.S. farmers and ranchers and our trading partners.
Our livestock industry cannot afford to wait until 2009 for the national animal ID system to be up and running. The risk of a crisis occurring before our system is in place is real, and unfortunately, we have seen how a lack of an effective emergency communications system can cause a significant delay in response during times of crisis.
The challenges we face in developing a national animal ID system are significant, but we can look to the experiences of other countries that have implemented animal ID systems for guidance. Today, the Agriculture Committee held a hearing that reviewed the animal identification systems in Canada and Australia, which provided helpful information as we move forward. |
