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Animal Disease Traceability


Animal Disease Traceability

Animal identification and traceability has received increased attention lately in the United States. Recent animal disease outbreaks around the world have underscored the importance of animal identification and the need to track an animals’ location history and herd mate contacts. These incidents have led to a heightened awareness of the risks posed to our domestic livestock populations by the accidental or malicious introduction of a foreign disease or the emergence of a domestic disease of concern. Some animal diseases may also present a threat to the public health furthering the urgency to maintain animal health control. A significant animal disease outbreak could affect both our social and economic stability. The potential disruption that a large-scale disease occurrence could cause would go way beyond the suffering and loss to animal life.

Leaders in the agriculture industry and government have recognized the need to have a meaningful animal disease traceability system in place to help avoid the undesirable consequences our country could experience as a result of certain animal disease outbreaks. Regulatory animal disease programs (such as the Brucellosis and TB Eradication programs in cattle, Scrapie Eradication in sheep, and Pseudorabies Eradication in swine) have used official animal identification as a means to control and significantly reduce those diseases in the US. These disease control successes have resulted in a decrease in numbers of officially identified animals. As a result, animal health officials are finding it increasingly more difficult to efficiently conduct animal disease investigations. A efficient, reliable system of animal health traceability would greatly aid animal health officials by providing the information necessary to control and halt the spread of a disease and minimize the impact of such events. Maintenance of public confidence in and continued marketability of food animal products are added benefits of an effective animal identification system for the industry.

On August 9, 2011, USDA issued a proposed rule to establish general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate when animal disease events take place.  Beginning August 11, 2011, USDA will be accepting comments on the proposed rule until November 9, 2011. 

Click here for the USDA APHIS Animal Disease Traceability website:

Click here for the August 9, 2011 News Release - USDA Seeks Comments on the Proposed Rule for Animal Disease Traceability.

Click here for the Proposed Rule on Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate.

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