PREMISE ID

and the

NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (NAIS)

In the interest of protecting animal health and as a crucial foundation of the agricultural infrastucture, the NAIS has been proposed and is being implemented in the United States, well behind the systems already in place in the European Union, Canada, and Australia.  The program will include camelids, cattle and bison, cervids commercially raised, equines, goats, poultry, sheep and swine, and is being phased in slowly since approximately 2004.  
      

Horses probably move further and more often than the other species, most of which (pigs and poultry) only take a one way trip to slaughter, cattle might move three times from their cow-calf operation to a sale facility, then to a feed lot, then to slaughter. Of course, show animals are different, as are breeding animals.  So keeping up with their movements is tough in case of a disease outbreak.  Just take Rodeo's or Horse Shows as an example. Can you imagine how many animals could touch noses or share manure on their hooves at overnight farms or ranches, and then could spread a disease down the highway? 

Show facilities, sales facilities, and veterinary clinics are some of the first to be registered with a PREMISE ID under this system, which at this time is not mandatory.  People intimately involved with agriculture and the equine industry realize: if the health of any animals is compromised, it may affect each of us personallyl, so the sign on to the program has been healthy in most species.  Eventually this will probably come under state laws to enforce and mandate the program.  After all, it is for the good of ALL of us !

The intent of the NAIS is to be able to perform epidemiological investigations early in an outbreak to track the most likely source of an infection, especially from foreign animal diseases like AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS, PIROPLASMOSIS, and EQUINE VIRAL ARTERITIS. These are horrific diseases that would kill 90% or more of US horses exposed to the disease, and horses die awful deaths from these organisms. I certainly don’t want to see my equine friends exposed to a disease that cannot be stopped due to poor epidemiological tracking and the tendency of people to cheat.

The program (USDA, 2004) will enhance the efforts of veterinarians to provide the following:

•        Foreign animal disease surveillance, control and eradication.
•        Facilitate epidemiological investigations
•        Improve biosecurity protection of the livestock population
•        Distinguish vaccinated from unvaccinated animals during USDA disease control and
         eradication efforts.
•        Furnish official identification for interstate and international commerce
•        Accurately identify blood and tissue specimens for laboratory diagnostics and
         registration of purebred animals
•        Track the health status of certified herds, States and Regions
•        Enable regionalization and risk assessment in support of international trade
•        Uniform identification methods for each species
•        Track and record the performance characteristics of individual breeding animals

Brands, tattoos, ear tags are common methods of identification that date back hundreds of years to identify ownership and individuals.  These rather archaic and dated methods are soon to be phased out.  In this country, brucellosis and tuberculosis in cattle are almost eradicated thru the use of similar tracking systems over the last few decades. 

We all know that DNA had to be started to expose the cheating that was going on in many of the horse breeding and registration of purebred animals up until recently, mostly due to lack of a uniform ID system. Most people realize that sick or exposed animals early in a disease outbreak will need to be identified, quarantines and their movements tracked to contain the outbreak quickly.  Did you know that - as an example - over 300 horses PER DAY cross the state line into Florida?  That amounts to almost 110,000 horses a YEAR crossing the border of JUST ONE STATE, to try to keep track of, in case a disease escaped into the population.  Horse trailers regularly travel thru 3 to 6 states in one day. Do you start to realize the gravity of trying to contain a disease that might start in just one small Friday night horse sale?!

As an example, each farm, ranch, auction barn, fair and animal handling or show facility will be assigned a PREMISE ID number, a 7 digit number that is based on the 911 address and GPS geographic coordinate of the facility.  The PREMISE ID stays with the facility / tract of land for the longevity of it’s use as a farm or livestock related facility, the information is not specific to the person or company owning it.  If you have multiple premises, such as a horse farm on one tract and cattle facility on another, you can register both.

Animal concentration points such as show and race facilities, sales barns, veterinary clinics are crucial to be registered, where animals from many locations co-mingle.  One infected animal at this type of facility could theoretically expose hundreds of other animals to infection, similar to what happened with race tracks several times in the last couple of years. In some cases, the entire facility might be quarantined and stop movement placed on the animals involved. Having animals identified prior to this occurrence will make it easier to verify vaccinations and herd health status for release.

Facilities involved in the agricultural industry but that do not have livestock or horses are encouraged to register with a NON-PRODUCER Participant Number – this would include farriers, mobile clinic veterinarians, feed stores, breed registries, ID providers, and others. This will be a 7 alpha-numeric character unique ID as well.

At this time, this is a VOLUNTEER PROGRAM for horse owners, but is highly encouraged by veterinarians and agriculture personnel.  Individual animals, such as horses, will be assigned a 15 character unique individual ID called an Animal Identification Number (AIN). For animals like lots or groups of poultry, piglets, etc. there will be a Lot number, but this probably won’t apply to animals like horses. At this time, each State is cranking up the system within their borders. Each species will have an appropriate method of identification on or in the animal, in horses it will probably be a microchip. 

Microchips were proven in Hurricane Katrina to assist with the ID to prove ownership to rescued horses, only 4 horses did not go back to their owners out of the hundreds that were picked up.  Microchips are practically impossible to remove once implanted, so they will help with finding stolen animals, and prevent horses that are stolen from going to slaughter (all facilities check for microchips) before they can be found.  Eventually it is hoped, when an animal is shown, the show record will be automatically downloaded to the breed registry without the owner having to do a lot of paperwork to record it, this would be based on a microchip but is different from the NAIS program.  

A few people are always concerned about confidentiality of the information that will be put in the database with this system. NAIS information will be part of a confidential database free from public disclosure, and proprietary data is NOT included in the Premise ID or AIN for USDA or any other agency, only info for disease monitoring and tracking. Liability resulting from a person’s actions will not change as a result of NAIS.

Ya’ll know that I am all for educating oneself about the issues facing each of us in the horse industry.   We want our horses to be disease free and safer from the prospect of horse theft.  Horse owners, breeders and trainers, who wish to transition to this system in order ot protect not only their horses, but horses all over the country, are encouraged to visit the NAIS website and sign up for a Premise ID in their state.