Questions and

Answers on the

National Animal

Identification System

Q. What is the National Animal Identification

System (NAIS)?

A. The NAIS is a national program intended to identify all agricultural animals and track them as they

come into contact with, or are inter–mixed with, animals other than herdmates from their premises of origin.

Already, many species in U.S. animal industries

can be identified through some sort of identification

system, but these systems are not consistent across

the country. Tracing an animal’s movements can

therefore be a time–consuming endeavor during a

disease investigation, especially if the animal has

moved across State lines.

On April 27, 2004, Agriculture Secretary Ann M.

Veneman announced the framework for implementing

the NAIS—an animal identification and tracking system that will be used in all States and that will operate under national standards. When fully operational,

the system will be capable of tracing a sick animal or

group of animals back to the herd or premises that is

the most likely source of infection. It will also be able

to trace potentially exposed animals that were moved

out from that herd or premises. The sooner animal

health officials can identify infected and exposed animals and premises, the sooner they can contain the

disease and stop its spread.

The NAIS will enhance U.S. efforts to respond to

intentionally or unintentionally introduced animal disease outbreaks more quickly and effectively. USDA’s

long–term goal is to establish a system that can identify all premises and animals that have had direct

contact with a foreign animal disease or a domestic

disease of concern within 48 hours of discovery.

Q. What is the U.S. Animal Identification Plan

(USAIP)? 

A. Before the Secretary established the NAIS, a

partnership of more than 100 animal and livestock

professionals from 70 associations, organizations,

and government developed the USAIP. The plan laid

out a framework and defined suggested data standards for implementing and maintaining a phased–in

national animal identification system for the United

States.

In implementing the NAIS, USDA is drawing from

some of the data standards first established in the

USAIP. However, the USAIP should not be viewed as

an exact blueprint for the NAIS. USDA will continue

to seek input from industry and other interested parties throughout the design and implementation of the

NAIS.

Q. What’s the Difference between the USAIP and

the NAIS? 

A. The USAIP was a plan created by industry and

government representatives over the course of 2

years to address national animal identification.

The NAIS builds upon aspects of the USAIP and

is the program that USDA is moving forward with in

implementing national animal and premises identification. USDA will continue to seek industry input as

the NAIS progresses.

Q. Why is a National Animal Identification

System Needed? 

A. A national animal identification system is needed

to help protect American animal agriculture from foreign or domestic disease threats. Finding potentially

sick or exposed animals early in a disease outbreak

is essential to containing or eradicating the disease

quickly. The NAIS would allow for rapid tracing of

animals in the event of an outbreak, helping to limit

the scope and expense of the outbreak and allowing

us to minimize impact on domestic and foreign markets. The NAIS will also be critical as USDA, States,

and industry work to complete the disease eradication programs in which we have invested many years

and millions of dollars.

The NAIS may have merit for producers for other

reasons as well, including providing additional marketing opportunities. The NAIS will also help uphold

the reputation of the United States as having healthy

animals and will promote continued confidence in

American agricultural and animal products.

Q. Is the NAIS Related to the Country of Origin

Labeling (COOL) initiative? 

A. The NAIS is not being implemented as a result of

the COOL initiative. The intent of the NAIS is to create the ability to track animal disease to its source

and other potentially exposed premises within a 48-

hour period after detection. However, animal owners

may be able to use information collected under the

NAIS should they wish to participate for other purposes, including the COOL program.

Factsheet

Veterinary Services September 2004

APHIS
Q. Why is 48–hour Traceback Capability Needed?

A. To protect the health of the U.S. herd, sound scientific principles indicate that being able to track and

contain a disease within 48 hours is essential. For the

industry to maintain confidence in animal health, it will

need to demonstrate its ability to meet this standard.

Q. What are the Benefits for Producers to

Participate in the NAIS? 

A. The adoption of a national animal identification

system will help secure the health of the national

herd. The program will provide animal owners and

animal health officials with the infrastructure to

improve current disease eradication and control

efforts; protect against widespread foreign and

domestic animal disease outbreaks; and provide infrastructure to address threats from deliberate introduction of disease.

The industry may integrate the standards defined

through the NAIS with their management systems and

performance recording programs. Using the same

identification technologies for both regulatory and

industry programs allows for the development of a

more cost–effective and user–friendly system for the

animal owner. Animal owners can also benefit from

the additional animal identification information that

would be obtained through the NAIS to improve production efficiencies and add value to their animals.

However, the information systems would be completely separate: Proprietary production data will not be

transmitted to nor maintained in the NAIS information

repositories.

Q. How Much Will the Program Cost? 

A. It is difficult to quantify the cost of a fully operational system since all of the needed components

have not yet been fully defined. During fiscal year

(FY) 2004, USDA has invested $18.8 million into the

NAIS, and the President’s FY 2005 Budget requests

an additional $33 million.

Q. Who Will Pay for the Identification System? 

A. The size and scope of this undertaking demand

that it be a cooperative effort. Because it is being

developed as an industry–government partnership, it

is expected that industry and the government will

share the cost of the necessary elements.

Q. Where Do Producers Get Premises

Identification Numbers? 

A. Each State’s and Tribe’s animal health authority

(e.g., State veterinarian) is responsible for administering and maintaining a premises registration system for

the region under its purview. Once a system is operational in each area, the State or Tribal animal health

official will obtain unique national premises identification numbers through USDA’s premises number allocator.

The premises registration system will record information such as address, contact name, type of premises, and phone number to contact the person in

charge of the premises. Key pieces of information will

be sent to the national premises information repository so that it will be available in the case of a disease

traceback.

Q. What Forms of Identification Will be Used? 

A. USDA understands that there is no

“one–size–fits–all” identification technology. Many

methods are currently on the market: radio frequency

identification devices, retinal scans, DNA, etc.

It is likely that some technologies will work better

for some species than for others. Rather than focus

on a specific technology, USDA will focus on the

design of the identification data system—what information should be collected and when it should be collected and reported. Once the identification system is

designed, the market will determine which technologies will be the most appropriate to meet the needs of

the system.

Q. Do Horse Owners Have to Eartag Their

Horses?

A. No. Species–specific working groups, which are

providing input to USDA, are aware of traditional

methods of identifying animals and will not recommend methods that are contrary to current practices.

The goal is to provide valid identification without compromising other needs of a given species.

Q. Where Do Producers Get Official Animal

Identification Numbers? 

A. Following premises registration, producers may

contact an animal identification number manager in

their area to obtain official animal identification numbers (AIN). AINs will be issued to the premises and

linked to the animals in a way that is appropriate for

the species. For example, cattle producers may use

ear tags on their animals, while LaMancha goat producers may require a different type of identification

method, since their animals have very small ears.

Producers should check with their State or Tribal animal health authority to determine who they should

contact about AINs. In many cases, the States and

Tribes are in the preliminary stages of implementing

the NAIS, so they may not have an AIN manager in

place yet.

Please Note: Other identification numbering

systems defined in the Code of Federal

Regulations will remain official through a NAIS

transition period. Producers should check with a

State, Federal, or Tribal animal health authority for

more information about obtaining AINs and

Group/Lot Identification Numbers for various livestock species.
Q. Will Animal Owners Need to Have a Radio

Frequency Identification (RFID) Reader? 

A. USDA is maintaining a technology–neutral position

with regard to the technologies that will be used to

identify animals. USDA is developing the standards

for collecting and reporting information, but industry

will determine which type of identification method or

methods work best for each species.

Radio frequency technology is one form of electronic identification that has been discussed for use

with cattle. Animal owners that use RFID for official

identification will not necessarily need to have an

RFID reader.

For example, a producer may be able to record

the RFID code of the electronic device before it is

applied to an animal and cross–reference the code

with a visual–tag number. This would allow the producer to maintain a record of the RFID code without

having to read (scan) the transponder. Industry

providers may sell RFID eartag attachments on which

the RFID code is printed for visual readability. While

reading and recording the RFID code manually is not

ideal, it can be achieved.

Q. Who Will Pay for Electronic Identification

Readers and Their Installation in Markets and

Slaughter Plants? Who Will Pay for the Electronic

Identification Devices? 

A. The NAIS plan is being developed as an industry–government partnership, so it is expected that

industry and the government will share the cost of the

necessary elements. At this point, we do not envision

any significant Federal funding being used for individual animal tags or other such devices. However, funding of select electronic readers could be accommodated under agreements with some cooperators. We

should point out that a variety of identification systems

are currently used in the United States to identify various livestock species. The Department’s 

technology–neutral position will allow industry to

determine which animal identification method or methods are the most practical and effective for each

species.

Q. If a Producer Is Currently Using an

Identification Program through a Private Service

or Marketing Alliance, Will That Identification Be

Usable in the NAIS?

A. Yes, assuming the program is compliant with the

official NAIS standards.

Q. Should Producers or Their Industry

Associations Consider Options for Aligning

Themselves with a Database Management

Provider to Ensure They Remain in Compliance

with the NAIS? 

A. Producers are free to use any data management

service they choose. Many of them provide a valuable service in managing production and marketing

data to help producers maximize the profit potential of

their agricultural enterprise. These companies will

undoubtedly provide much needed animal movement

data to the national animal tracking information system.

There are, however, no plans to require producers

to participate in any private data management system

or align themselves with any specific data service

provider. USDA would characterize such action as

premature if the reason is merely to stay in compliance with the NAIS. There is definitely no urgency, as

no immediate implementation requirements have

been established. The NAIS will be phased in over

time, and an adequate transition period, augmented

with abundant public informational materials, will be

established for animal owners to work into the system.

USDA is taking necessary steps to have the NAIS

data standards established as official; the AIN is an

example. Under the NAIS, USDA is proposing that

every animal needing to be identified individually

would have a 15–character number. Groups or lots of

animals would be identified through a 13–character

number, and premises would be identified through a

7–character number.

Many producers are already asking to make a

move to this numbering system from the multiple systems currently in use. Accordingly, USDA’s Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is planning to pursue rulemaking to recognize for official use

the 7–character premises identification number, the

13–character group/lot identification number, and the

15–character AIN. This would allow those who want

to start the migration to do so, while not requiring it for

others who may not be ready.

Q. Who Will be Responsible for Applying

Identification to Animals? 

A. During the phase–in period, animals will need to

be identified as they leave whatever premises they are

on regardless of where they were born. After the first

few years of the program, identifying animals will be

the responsibility of the “premises of birth” animal

owners. For animal owners who lack equipment for

individual identification, “tagging stations” will be available.
Q. What is a Tagging Station and Where Will Such

Stations be Located? 

A. A tagging station is an entity operating from a

fixed location that has been officially approved by

APHIS to apply identification devices to animals that

are required to be identified.

USDA recognizes that not all animal owners will

have facilities to individually tag animals before they

leave their premises of origin. Therefore, animal owners who are required to individually tag animals that

leave the premises of origin can elect to transport animals to an approved tagging station. They would pay

the operator of the tagging station a fee to apply individual animal identification devices and report the

identification information to a central information

repository. Such tagging stations may include, but not

be limited to, an existing livestock marketing facility, a

veterinary clinic, a fairgrounds, or a facility specifically

dedicated to performing tagging services.

Q. If a Person Raises Animals for His or Her Own

Use and the Animals Never Leave the Owner’s

Property, Do They Need to be Identified? 

A. Under the current plan, animals that never leave a

premises do not need to be identified. However, animal owners are encouraged to identify their animals

and their premises, regardless of the number of animals present, since many animal diseases may be

spread whether an animal leaves its home premises

or not. Examples of such diseases include West Nile

virus, foot–and–mouth disease, vesicular stomatitus,

and equine infectious anemia.

Q. If a Person Only Shows Animals or Only Takes

Them to Trail Rides, Do They Need to be

Identified? 

A. When people show or commingle their animals

with animals from multiple premises, the possibility of

spreading disease becomes a factor. Those animals

will need to be identified.

Q. What is “Commingling”?

A. Commingling may be defined as an animal having

contact with, or being inter–mixed with, animals other

than herdmates from that animal’s premises of origin.

Q. What Data Will USDA Require, Who Will It be

Kept by, and in What Form Will It be Kept?

A. The identification of livestock premises is the foundation of the NAIS and must be established before

animals can be tracked.

USDA will require the following pieces of information about registered premises: premises identification

number; the name of the entity; appropriate contact

person; street address/city/state/zip code; contact

phone number, operation type; and the date the premises number was activated, the date the premises

number was deactivated, and the reason for deactivation. State or Tribal animal health authorities will

receive this data or have access to this data through

their premises registration systems, and USDA will

store the data in the national premises information

repository.

Once an animal has been assigned an AIN,

USDA will be able to trace its movements and carry

out efficient epidemiological investigations by keeping

a record of the AIN, the premises identification that

the AIN was seen at or allocated to, the date the AIN

was seen or allocated, and an appropriate event code

(e.g. sighting, movement–in, movement–out, etc.).

Additional information that can be important in a disease investigation, such as the animal’s species,

date–of–birth (if possible), sex, and breed, may also

be reported. This data would be stored by USDA in

the national animal identification information repository.

Some species will likely be identified through

group/lot identification numbers. In these cases, producers will keep a record of the lot identification number, the premises identification where the lot identification number was seen, and the date it was seen. If

species is available, this can also be provided to

USDA’s national animal identification information

repository. Requirements for reporting these movements to the national animal tracking information

repository have not been established.

Q. Who Will Have Access to Information in the

National Animal Identification Databases? 

A. As part of the NAIS, Federal, State, and Tribal animal health and public health officials will have access

to the information repositories when they need data to

administer animal health programs at the state and

national level. For example, they may access the

database if a USDA program disease—such as tuberculosis or brucellosis—or a suspected foreign animal

disease is reported and requires an epidemiological

investigation. They may also access the database

during emergency response simulations.

Q. What Species Will be Included in the NAIS? 

A. The NAIS is being developed for all animals that

will benefit from having a system to facilitate rapid

traceback/traceout in the event of disease concern.

Currently, working groups are developing plans for

aquaculture, camelids (llamas and alpacas),

cattle/bison, cervids (deer and elk), equine, goats,

poultry, sheep, and swine.
Q. Will Stakeholders Need More Than One

Premises Identification Number if They Have More

than One Species on Their Premises?

A. No. A single premises identification number will

be used for each location, regardless of the number of

species associated with it. In other words, a producer

will not have a separate premises identification number for beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, etc.

Q. Will This be a Mandatory Program? 

A. USDA and its cooperators are working toward

developing a national program that will allow us to

rapidly track animals exposed to a disease concern

and that will meet the needs of animal owners, animal

industries, domestic and international markets, and

consumers.

The system needs to be tested to be sure it is

effective and workable. While the NAIS is being

developed and refined, producer participation will be

voluntary. As the system continues to take shape and

is tested for all livestock and food animals, USDA will

reassess the need for making some or all aspects of

the program mandatory. Some States, such as

Wisconsin, have passed laws to make certain components of an animal identification program mandatory

in areas under their purview.

Eventually, USDA may move toward a requirement for mandatory premises and animal identification

for all species included in the system. If USDA does

decide to make all or parts of the NAIS mandatory, we

will follow the normal rulemaking process. The public

will have the opportunity to comment upon any proposed regulations.

Q. Will Producers be Able to Sell Their Livestock if

the Animals are not Officially Identified? 

A. Yes, as the plan will begin as a voluntary program.

Over time, some markets may require animals to be

identified that are not identified now. Species for

which identification is currently required will continue

to have to be identified prior to entering commerce

(e.g., sheep and goats under the national scrapie

eradication program).

As the program is phased in, all animals of covered species will be encouraged to have premises

identification, and eventually individual identification,

prior to sale. For animal owners who lack facilities to

apply identification devices at the premises of birth,

there will be provisions for initiating the process at the

point of sale.

Q. Can Animals be Identified as a Group? 

A. Yes, an animal production system can use

group/lot identification if the animal owner is able to

demonstrate to the satisfaction of State animal health

officials that, through group identification and production records, 1) traceback to all premises that have

had direct contact with a suspect animal can occur

within 48 hours, and 2) the potential for commingling

does not exist. Each group will be identified with a

unique and standardized number. Verifiable records

will be required to further document premises identification and dates of movement.

Q. What are the Penalties for not Using the

Program? 

A. At this point, the NAIS is not fully developed and

animal owners are not yet required to comply with any

rules. When the plan is finished, market forces may

drive those involved in the livestock industry toward

participation.

Q. What are the Liability Issues of This Program

for Animal Owners? 

A. USDA’s goal for the NAIS is to enhance animal

health officials’ ability to trace and respond to animal

diseases. The key objective is to achieve a timely

traceback to minimize the detrimental effect of livestock diseases. Accordingly, USDA and the States

will only collect and retain necessary identification

data in the preharvest production chain and through

final inspection at slaughter establishments. USDA

would emphasize that the NAIS, in serving as a

repository of verifiable data, will increase the accuracy

of animal health information and will not expose producers to unwarranted or additional liability.

Q. What is the Timeline for Implementing This

Program? 

A. USDA’s priority in 2004 is to establish the national

premises identification system. Beginning in August

2004, States and Tribes on a limited basis can begin

registering locations where livestock are held, sold, or

commingled, using an interim standardized premises

registration system provided by APHIS, or systems

developed by themselves or others that meet NAIS

data standards.

During FY 2004, APHIS is providing close to $12

million to 29 States and Tribes through cooperative

agreements to help them implement premises identification as well as to carry out field trials or research to

test and fine-tune identification technologies and collect animal movement data. The President’s FY 2005

budget calls for $33 million in funding for animal identification, and a portion of this money would go toward

establishing additional cooperative agreements to

assist States and Tribes in further implementing and

testing the system.

USDA envisions that the NAIS will continue to

expand in 2006. As States and Tribes gain experience, USDA will integrate those approaches that are

most successful into the broader system. USDA will

also allow service providers and other participants to

gear up their products, programs, and services to

meet the demands of a national program.
Q. What Government Entities Will Have Oversight

of This Plan? 

A. In keeping with the aim of the program to help

safeguard U.S. animal health through disease surveillance and monitoring, which includes traceback to

individual animals within 48 hours, APHIS will administer the program. Further, the plan calls for governance as a joint Federal–State responsibility with

industry input. To ensure uniformity of operations

across the United States, APHIS and individual State

animal health entities will develop and administer key

regulatory elements of the plan.

Q. What Will be the Identification Requirements for

Animals Entering the United States from Other

Countries?

A. Live animals imported into the United States will

require identification levels equivalent to what is

required of producers in the United States for interstate movement. USDA anticipates that the NAIS will

be compatible with exporting countries’ systems.

Imported animals will maintain their country of origin

identification and will be tracked just like domestic

livestock. The country of origin identification will be

considered official in the United States, and the animals will not need to be re–identified.

Q. With the Phase–out of Existing Official Animal

Identification Devices, What Will Happen with

Brucellosis Vaccination Tags? Will They Still be

Used? 

A. Identification numbering systems defined in the

Code of Federal Regulations, such as those provided

through brucellosis vaccination tags, will remain official through a NAIS transition period. It is likely that

brucellosis vaccination tags will be phased out gradually as individual vaccination records are included in

the database linked to each AIN. Producers should

check with a State, Federal, or Tribal animal health

authority for more information about obtaining AINs

and Group/Lot Identification Numbers for various livestock species.

Q. What Will Happen with the National Scrapie

Eradication Program's Identification System?

A. In 2001, APHIS implemented a national scrapie

eradication program, which included a mandatory

national identification component for sheep and goats.

It has become apparent from producer and industry

feedback that the current sheep and goat identification system needs to be improved in ways that will

ensure compliance and improved animal tracking

capability without impeding the flow of commerce at

points of animal concentration.

On August 4, 2004, APHIS posted a request for

information (RFI) on identification technologies that

could enhance sheep and goat identification, tracking,

and compliance monitoring. The identification technology will be used to identify sheep and goats in

APHIS’ National Scrapie Eradication Program. The

RFI should allow APHIS to both make an informed

decision with regard to contracts for scrapie program

identification devices and assist NAIS cooperators in

identifying and possibly acquiring various technologies

to evaluate for sheep and goats.

Since USDA is working to incorporate identification systems already in existence, such as cattle

brands and identification tags distributed as part of

the scrapie eradication program, the scrapie eradication team is working closely with the NAIS team to

ensure that scrapie program identification meets the

requirements of both the scrapie program and the

NAIS.

With consistency being a key objective of the

NAIS, AIN distributed through USDA’s national allocator will become the official numbers for use in the

scrapie eradication program. It is likely that animals

currently identified through other official plans/programs will be "grandfathered" into the program, meaning animal owners will phase in AINs on animals identified for the first time after a mutually acceptable date.

In addition, USDA envisions that the current

scrapie premises identification numbers may be

cross–referenced with the new national premises

identification numbers. Animal owners will still be able

to use the current premises identification number until

it is phased out over time.

Q. What are You Doing to Ensure the Privacy of

Ranchers’ and Farmers’ Records? Will

Information Collected for the NAIS be Exempted

from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? 

A. USDA recognizes the concerns about the confidentiality of this information and is working on options

to allay these concerns. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the national information

repositories will only include information for animal

and disease tracking purposes. Proprietary production data will remain in private databases.

FOIA can be used to obtain information from a

Federal agency when that agency has custody and

control of a record. USDA is very much aware of producers’ concerns about the confidentiality of information collected as part of the NAIS and is taking them

very seriously as officials explore the most effective

means for collecting animal identification information.

Accordingly, USDA is pursuing various options for

appropriately protecting the information in the NAIS

from public disclosure.
Q. Where Can Interested Stakeholders Go to

Obtain More Information About This Plan? 

A. Information about the NAIS is available at

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais.html.

Q. Is There Still Time to Have Input into the NAIS? 

A. The development of a system with this kind of

scope and complexity, requiring a substantial investment on the part of both the public and private sectors, needs to be developed with ample opportunity

for input by those affected. With this in mind, USDA

published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking

(ANPRM) on July 14, 2004, that, among other things,

solicits comments on when and under what circumstances the NAIS should move from being voluntary

to mandatory, and which species should be covered

now and over the long term. The comment period

closed on September 13, 2004.

In addition to accepting comments through the

ANPRM, USDA has been holding listening sessions

throughout the country. APHIS has posted the schedule on its Web site at

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais_listeningsessions.html. APHIS is also posting the comments from these sessions on its Web site so that

interested parties are updated regularly.

Eventually, USDA may move toward a requirement for premises and animal identification for all

species included in the system. If USDA does decide

to make all or parts of the NAIS mandatory, APHIS

will follow the normal rulemaking process. The public

will have the opportunity to comment upon any proposed regulations.

Stakeholders may also contact one of the NAIS

Issue or Species Working Groups. These groups are

providing detailed recommendations to USDA regarding the implementation of the NAIS. Contact information for these working groups will soon be available on

the APHIS Web site at

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/nais/nais.html.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture

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