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Why the Need for Livestock Identification?
- Foreign Animal Disease control, surveillance, and prevention
- Biosecurity protection of the national herd
- Identification of livestock vaccinated or tested under official
disease control or eradication program
- Official identification of animals in interstate or international
commerce
- Accurate identification of blood and tissue specimens
- Improvement of laboratory diagnostic and reporting capabilities
- Health status certification of herds, States, and Regions
- Effective regionalization and risk assessment in support of
international trade
History of Livestock Identification
Livestock identification in the United States has been documented
in large animal production industries dating back to the late 1800's
and early 1900's. Cattle ranchers, to indicate ownership and deter
theft, first used hot iron branding. Swine producers for registration
and record keeping purposes used ear notches for individual animal
identification. These two methods are rapidly losing popularity
due to concerns about humane treatment of animals and a decrease
in product value.
APHIS and its predecessor agencies began using ear tags, back tags,
tattoos and face brands in the early 1960's. These identification
methods were required by statutory regulations and successfully
used to trace the movements of diseased animals during disease outbreaks
and eradication programs. With this long history of contact with
the field, APHIS has led the way in the development of national
identification systems. The agency continues to place a high priority
on livestock identification and database development.
Current methods of livestock identification include but are not
limited to ear tags, back tags, neck chains, tail tags, freeze brands,
tattoos, paint marks, and leg bands. Electronic identification methods
including bar codes and/or radio frequency identification (RFID)
transponders are becoming increasingly useful tools in herd management
programs. As these new technologies develop and become compatible
with one another, they may prove to be cost-effective tools to increase
the efficiency of production. Similarly, regulatory agencies may
benefit from these systems through increased accuracy and efficiency
of tracing the movement of livestock.
The current primary driving forces behind the development of livestock
identification systems are based on recognized industry needs. They
include disease control and eradication, disease surveillance and
monitoring, emergency response to foreign animal diseases, regionalization,
global trade, livestock production efficiency, consumer concerns
over food safety, and emergency management programs.
The Secretary of Agriculture has the statutory authority and responsibility
to determine that when "any State, Territory, or the District
of Columbia are affected with any contagious, infectious, or communicable
disease of livestock or poultry for which, in his opinion, a quarantine
should be established" notice will be given and a rule will
be issued and included in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Thus, the CFR contains all the rules governing the movement and
handling of animals in interstate commerce for the purposes of controlling
or eliminating disease in livestock.
Regulations regarding the interstate transportation of animals
(including poultry) and animal products are found in:
Regulations Pertaining to Disease Control
Current disease eradication
programs: |
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The Table of Content pages for 9 CFR 54, 71, 75, 77,
78, 79, 80, and 85 will show regulations that deal with
animal identification and/or interstate transport in
bold.
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Disease control and certification programs under NAHP:
- Communicable disease in horses (9
CFR 75)
- Johne's disease in domestic animals (9
CFR 80)
- Commercial Transportation of Equines to Slaughter (9
CFR 88)
Other disease control and certification programs:
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These documents are located in the Code of Federal Regulations.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/
Under Search Terms enter the Title # then CFR and Part
# in quotes, i.e. "9CFR72" then click submit.
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- Texas fever in cattle (9
CFR 72)
- Scabies in cattle (9
CFR 73)
- Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) and chlamydiosis, poultry
disease caused by salmonella enteritidis stereotype enteritidis
(9
CFR 82)
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Industry Aids
APHIS has developed several information booklets, which provide
program guidelines:
- Brucellosis Eradication, Uniform Methods and Rules (PDF)
(effective February 1, 1998). APHIS 91-45-011.
- Swine Brucellosis Control/Eradication; State-Federal-Industry
Uniform Methods and Rules (PDF)
(Issued April 1998) APHIS 91-55-042
- Pseudorabies Eradication, State-Federal-Industry Program Standards
(PDF),
Effective January 1, (Issued March 1998) APHIS 91-55-041
- Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program Standards (PDF),
Effective July 1, 1999 (Approved April 27, 1999) APHIS 91-55-044
- Draft Scrapie Eradication Uniform Methods and Rules (PDF)(Comments
period closed September 20, 2001)
- Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication, Uniform Methods and Rules (PDF),
Effective January 22, 1999 APHIS 91-45-0111
These and other APHIS publications can be found
at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/pubabc.html
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