# General Standards

December 20 , 2012 Version 2.0

Version 2.0

12/20/2012 

# Animal Disease Traceability

### Animal Disease Traceability Page 1

General Standards Version 2.0 12/20/2012 

# Animal Disease Traceability

General Standards

C ONTENTS

PREFACE

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 2

SECTION A: DATA STAN DARDS

................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 3

O FFICIAL I DENTIFICATION N UMBERS

- A NIMALS

................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 3

Individual Animal Numbers

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 3 Animal Group Identification Numbers

................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 5

L OCATION N UMBERING S YSTEMS

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 6

S TATE AND T RIBAL C ODES

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 8

C OUNTRY C ODES FOR U.S. T ERRITORIES

................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 10

SECTION B: ADMINISTR ATION OF OFFICIAL AN IMAL IDENTIFICATION METHODS AND DEVICES

.......................... 11

O FFICIAL E ARTAGS

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 11 Distribution of Official Identification Devices

................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 11 Replacement of Official Identification Eartags

................................ ................................ ................................ ... 13 Issuance of Duplicate Official Identification Eartags

................................ ................................ .......................... 13 Approved Tagging Sites

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 13

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# Preface

T he U

. S

. D epartment of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ( APHIS ) has establish ed traceability regulation s for livestock moving interstate. The purpose of

th e re gulation s is to improve the ability of APHIS to trace livestock when disease is found.

The final r ule

, “ Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate, ” r eference s t his Animal Disease Traceability Genera l Standards document

. Th is general standards document provides detail s on numbering systems and official identification devices that are authorized under the final rule. Additional information, including listing of official identification devices, is provided at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/

.

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# Section A: Data Standards

Official Identification Numbers

- Animals

Official identification numbering systems are fundamen tal to animal disease programs. Numbers

for both individual animal s and group s of animals are defined to support methods of official identification for the various species and for meeting production management practices. Official

animal identification devi ces, such as eartags, have an official identification number imprinted

o n them. Group/lot numbers are associated to the animals through records maintained by individuals responsible for the group throughout the production chain.

Official identification number s are nationally unique number s permanently associated with

individual animal s or group s of animals

. Official identification numbers are associated with individual animals or groups of animals through official identification devices or methods.

Offic ial identification numbers adhere to one of the following numbering systems:

• National Uniform Eartagging System (NUES)

• Animal identification number (AIN)

• Location

- based number system

• Flock

- based number system

• Any other numbering system approved by the APHIS Administrator for the official

identification of animals



# Individual Animal Numbers

Official animal numbering systems provide a way to uniquely identify individual animals. Official identification for certain species is based on identification devi ces (e.g., official eartags) that have an official animal number imprinted on the m . Official identification devices that adhere to these numbering standards are listed in Section B of this report. The following table specifies

the format for each official numbering system used for individual animals.

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# Table 1. Official Identification Numbers

Data Element Length Format Example Comments

National Uniform Eartagging System (NUES) 9 or 8 Alphanumeric 23 ELV 4574

PA ELV 4574

23 DX 1234

PA DX 1234

[2] 23

PA Default is State or Tribe numeric

code. State postal abbreviation is optional.

[3] or [2] ELV

AB See official tag specification in

Section C , Table 5

, for details on

the use of the letters in these positions

.
[4] 4574 4 digits in a chronological numerical sequence.

Animal ID n umber (AIN) 15 Numeric 840003456789012

[3] 840 The first 3 digits are the country

code (840 = USA)

. ( See note below regarding USA

and manufacturer codes. )

[12] 003456789012 The last 12 digits are the animal

number.
Start number > 3,000,000,000

.

Flock

- based

number with a

herd
management

number 15

Max. Alphanumeric MN0456 4275

[9]

Max. MN0456 See flock standard below.

[6]

Max. 4275 Unique herd management

number.

Location

- based

number with a

herd
management

number 14

Max. Alphanumeric IA123456 123456

[8]

Max. IA123456 See LID and PIN standard

below.

[6]

Max. 123456 Unique herd management

number.

AINs with the alpha characters USA or the numeric code assigned to the manufacturer ’s ISO 11784/85

- compliant identification device by the International Committee on Animal Recording may be used as alternatives to the 840 prefix until 1 year after the effective date of the final rule

, APHIS Docket

- 2009

- 0091, “ Traceability of L ivestock Moving Interstate

. ”

Note: AIN s beginning with the 840 prefix may not be applied to animals known to have been born outside the

United States

.

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# Animal Group Identification Numbers

Group/Lot Identification Numbers (GINs)

The use of GIN s provides a way to uniquely identify a unit of animals of the same species that is managed as one group throughout the preharvest production chain. The GIN consists of the following:

• O ne of the location identifiers (premises identification number (PIN) or l ocation

identification number (LID) ) defined in the following pages

• A six

- digit representation of the date on which the group or lot of animals was

assembled or date the group was initiated if more than one day (MM/DD/YY)

• T wo additional digits, ranging fr om 01 to 99, for the numbering of different groups or lots of animals assembled on the same premises on the same day. When more than one group of animals is assembled, the groups would be designated consecutively as
01, 02, 03, etc.

Flock Identification Numbers

The National Scrapie Eradication Program furnishes eartags to sheep and goat producers. The numbering system for these tags combines a nationally unique flock identification number (FIN) with the producer’s unique livestock production numbering system. This flock

- based numbering system represents an animal group that is associated with one or more locations. Th e system serves the sheep and goat industries well in their disease control and eradication efforts

.

A State or Federal animal health aut hority assigns the FIN to a group of animals managed as a unit on one or more premises under the same ownership

.

The following table specifies the official GINs.

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# Table 2. Animal Group Identification Numbers

Data Element Length Format Example Comments

Group/Lot ID Number (GIN)

- Using a PIN 15 Alphanumeric 004T56711221105

[7] 004T567 The first 7 characters are the

PIN.

[6] 112211 The next 6 characters are the

date the lot was established :
MMDDYY.

[2] 05 The last 2 characters are the

number (count 01

- 99) of the group assembled at a premises on the same day. (01 is the default when one group is assembled.)

Group/Lot ID Number (GIN) 1

- Using a LID 14 or

16 Alphanumeric WA123411221105

MN12347811221105

[6] or [8] WA1234

MN123478 The first 6 or 8 characters are

the l ocation ID n umber.

[6] 112211 The next 6 characters are the

date the lot was established :
MMDDYY.

[2] 05 The last 2 characters are the number (count 01

- 99) of the group assembled at a premises on the same day. (01 is the default when one group is assembled.)

Flock

Identification Number (FIN) 9

Max Alphanumeric

[2] PA State postal abbreviation required as the first two

characters.

Max of [7] 723456A FINs exclude the letters I, O, or Q from the characters following the State

abbreviation.

1 LIDs may also use the 7

- character format. The check digit must be used as prescribed for PINs.



# Location Numbering Systems

States and Tribes may elect to use location identifiers to support their animal disease traceability plan. Two processes , explained below, support the administration of location identifiers that adhere to the standards defined in Table 3. PINs are available through the PIN allocator, a software application tool that APHIS provi des access to for States and Tribes electing to use it

. States may also use their own process for administering unique State

- issued location identifiers. In these situations the State or Tribe has their own local system and process for issuing location

numbers to locations. To avoid confusion in presenting these options in this document, State

-

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### issued location identifiers are referred to as LIDs

, and the lo cation numbers States and Tribes obtain through the allocator are referred to as PINs (or standardized PINs). States and Tribes may

choose to use other terms in their materials.

States and Tribes are not required to provide PINs or LIDs for the administra tion of their traceability plans. However, if they choose to use location identifiers to administ er their traceability activities, following the standards below will ensure that their information systems are compatible with other traceability and animal he alth databases.

Location Identification Numbers

LIDs are administered through a State’s or Tribe’s internal system. All LID s start with the State

or Tribe code which makes the LIDs nationally unique . They consist of six or eight alphanumeric characters. Additionally, s even alphanumeric characters may be used only when the last character is a check digit based on ISO 7064 : 1983

, a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

. Using the State postal abbreviation as the

first two characters ensures.

Premises Identification Number s

States and Tribes may elect to use the PIN in their traceability system. The standardized PIN, obtained through the APHIS PIN allocator, consists o f seven alphanumeric characters. The last character is a check digit based on ISO 7064 : 1983

. States may use the State’s postal abbreviation

as the first two of the seven characters (for example, OH341T4) unless the State is using a seven

character LID

. Tribes may also have codes reserved for use with PINs they administer. The

codes for Tribes will be assigned upon request

. States and Tribes obtaining PINs from the PIN

allocator may use either the Standardized Premises Identification System or a Compliant Premises Identification System

. The standardized and compliant systems are defined in the Animal Disease Traceability Information Technology t echnical document.

The LID and PIN data standards are defined i n the following table.



# Table 3. Location Identifiers

Data Element Length Format Example Comments

LID 1 6 Alphanumeric MN4321 First 2 characters are the State postal abbreviation.

8 Alphanumeric CA6 5 4321 First 2 characters are the State postal abbreviation.

PIN 7 Alphanumeric A123R69 Last character is a check digit. 2

1 States and Tribes may issue LIDs in the 7

- character format only when the ISO 7064:1983 check digit is used as

the last character.

2 The check digit calculation algorithm is based on ISO 7064:1983, “ Data Processing

– Check Character Systems. ” (See Animal Disease Traceability Technical Standards document.)

Note: To avoid confusion w ith the numbers 0 and 1, the LID and PIN will not contain the letters O or I except
when the letters are contained in the State or Tribal code

.

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# State and Tribal Codes

State and Tribal codes used with NUES tags and location identifiers are listed below. Additional codes for Tribes will be established upon request to APHIS.



# Table 4

. State, Tribe

, and Territory Codes

Sort by Name Sort by Numeric Code

Alabama AL 64 Maine ME 11

Alaska AK 96 New Hampshire NH 12

American Samoa AS 99 Vermont VT 13

Arizona AZ 86 Massachusetts MA 14

Arkansas AR 71 Rhode Island RI 15

California CA 93 Connecticut CT 16

Colorado CO 84 New York NY 21

Commonwealth of the N.

Marianas MP 98 New Jersey NJ 22

Connecticut CT 16 Pennsylvania PA 23

Delaware DE 50 Ohio OH 31

Florida FL 58 Indiana IN 32

Georgia GA 57 Illinois IL 33

Guam GU 97 Michigan MI 34

Hawaii HI 95 Wisconsin WI 35

Hualapai Tribe HT 78 Minnesota MN 41

Idaho ID 82 Iowa IA 42

Illinois IL 33 Missouri MO 43

Indiana IN 32 North Dakota ND 45

Iowa IA 42 South Dakota SD 46

Kansas KS 48 Nebraska NE 47

Kentucky KY 61 Kansas KS 48

Louisiana LA 72 Delaware DE 50

Maine ME 11 Maryland MD 51

Maryland MD 51 Virginia VA 52

Massachusetts MA 14 West Virginia WV 54

Michigan MI 34 North Carolina NC 55

Minnesota MN 41 South Carolina SC 56

Mississippi MS 65 Georgia GA 57

Missouri MO 43 Florida FL 58

Montana MT 81 Virgin Islands (U.S.) VI 59

Navajo Nation NN 77 Kentucky KY 61

Nebraska NE 47 Tennessee TN 63

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### Sort by Name Sort by Numeric Code

Nevada NV 88 Alabama AL 64

New Hampshire NH 12 Mississippi MS 65

New Jersey NJ 22 Arkansas AR 71

New Mexico NM 85 Louisiana LA 72

New York NY 21 Oklahoma OK 73

North Carolina NC 55 Texas TX 74

North Dakota ND 45 Navajo Nation NN 77

Ohio OH 31 Hualapai Tribe HT 78

Oklahoma OK 73 Montana MT 81

Oregon OR 92 Idaho ID 82

Pennsylvania PA 23 Colorado CO 84

Puerto Rico PR 94 New Mexico NM 85

Rhode Island RI 15 Arizona AZ 86

South Carolina SC 56 Utah UT 87

South Dakota SD 46 Nevada NV 88

Tennessee TN 63 Washington WA 91

Texas TX 74 Oregon OR 92

Utah UT 87 California CA 93

Vermont VT 13 Puerto Rico PR 94

Virgin Islands (U.S.) VI 59 Hawaii HI 95

Virginia VA 52 Alaska AK 96

Washington WA 91 Guam GU 97

West Virginia WV 54 Commonwealth of the

N. Marianas MP 98

Wisconsin WI 35 American Samoa AS 99



### In addition to the codes listed above, the two letters “US” may be used as the first two characters on NUES tags.

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# Country Codes for U.S. Territories

ISO 3166 establishes c ountry codes

. The country code for the United States is 840. U

. S

. Territories may use the ir ISO country code as the first three characters of the AIN . The following

table lists the ISO c ountry c ode s for the U .S. T erritories.



# Table 5. Country Codes for U

. S

. Territories

Territory Code Territory Code

America Samoa 016 Northern Mariana Islands 580

Guam 316 Palau 585

Marshall Islands 584 Puerto Rico 630

Micronesia, Federated States of 583 Virgin Islands 850

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# Section B : Administration of Official Animal
Identification Methods and Devices

Official identification methods and devices officially identify an animal or group of animals by applying an official identification number to an animal or associating an official identification number with an animal or group of animals. Tables 1 and 2 in Section A of this report list official animal numbering system s for livestock

.

Official identification devices and methods are listed in the title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR) , part 90

, by species.



# Official Eartags

Official eartags, approved for certain species, are tags approved by APHIS that provide official identification numbers for individual animals. Before a manufacturer can p roduce and sell eartags bearing the official eartag shield, the tag must be approved by APHIS.

A description of the types of official eartags with the specifications and options as well as lists of official eartags that are currently approved are provide d on the ADT Website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/materials.shtml.

The primary criteria for official eartags include the following:

• Imprinted with an official identification number (see Table 1 )

• Official eartag shield

• Tamper evident, high retention

• Other characteristics defined through tag specification (defined on tag approval applications)

States obtaining official eartags direct from manufacturers may imprint their State ’s postal

abbreviation inside the official eartag shield in lieu of the letters “US”. Likewise, Tribes may imprint their alpha code (see Table 4).



# Distribution of Official Identification Devices

Proper administration of official identification devices is critical to support animal disease traceability. APHIS provides c ertain official identification devices to producers to apply to their animals. Distribution records of these devices are to be administered as explained below.

National Uniform Eartagging System

NUES tags have historically been use d by animal health offi cials in animal disease programs. The animal disease traceability framework allows producers to use NUES tags, commonly referred to as “brite” tags, when authorized by the State or Tribal animal health official. The following provides a basic overview of the key points regarding the distribution of NUES tags to producers :

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### State, Tribal, and Territory animal health officials and accredited veterinarians 1 

### may provide NUES identification eartags to producers who wish to use them for official identification and other purposes without administering the eartags through a specific disease program. This does not apply to eartags that are specific to a disease program, such as brucellosis calfhood vaccination eartags. This ena bles producers to use the eartags as a tool to qualify their animals for interstate movement. In such cases, the State, Tribe, or Territory animal health officials will maintain complete oversight for the integrity of the information.

One of the duties of State, Tribal, and Territorial animal health officials providing NUES tags is e nsuring sufficient contact information is collected about where NUES eartags are distributed to meet the traceability needs of the State, Tribe, or Territory. At a minimum,

the distribution record s need to be maintained for 5 years and must include:

• The name of the person the tags are issued to.

• The street address, city, State, and ZIP code where the tags are distributed.

• The identification numbers issued.

• The date the tags were issued.

• The name and contact information of the person issuing the tags.

States and Tribes may use the Animal Identification Management System (AIMS) to maintain

NUES tag distribution records.

The use of the AIMS requires the use of either a LID or PIN for each distribution record entered into AIMS. APHIS will, upon request, provide an alternative database that would support the recording of distribution records with the above information only

.

More specific details on the administration of NUES eartags is available in VS Memorandum

578.12 : Distribution and Use of Official Identification Eartags with Numbers Conforming to the

National Uniform Eartagging System (3/15/2011)

Producers considering the use of and availability of NUES tags should contact thei r State or

Tribal animal health official.

Animal Identification Number Devices

AIN device managers and resellers distribute AIN devices with the 840 prefix to producers. State and Federal animal health officials may also use AIN devices when they administer animal disease programs. APHIS, through an application and approval process, approves AIN devices

that meet established st andards. Approved AIN manufacturers are allocated the 840 numbers and are authorized to imprint or encode the AIN only on their approved devices.

AIN device manufacturers distribute AIN devices through AIN device managers, or may act as an AIN manager th emselves. All distribution records of 840 AIN tags administered by AIN managers and State and Federal animal health officials must be reported to the AIMS by the person who has possession of the device when distributing the device to the next individual, whether it is a producer or another reseller. All recipients of AIN devices must first have a LID

1 Producers may be able to obtain NUES eartags directly from State or Tribal animal health officials depending on the policies established at the State or Tribal level.

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### or PIN as defined in Section A and provide that number to the person that they are obtaining the devices from. The person responsible for the distribution of the AIN devices is responsible for the entry of the distribution record into AIMS. The record includes the AINs, date of distribution,

and LID or PIN /NPN where the devices were distributed. Details of the processes available for completing these distributi on records are provided in the AIMS user manual.

Producers electing to use AIN devices may contact the supplier of the tags in their area. The complete listing of AIN devices and the AIN tag manufacturer’s information is at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/trace ability/downloads/AIN_device_list.pdf.

Sheep and Goat Tags

Administration of official identification requirements for scrapie program tags is explained in the Scrapie Eradication Uniform Methods and Rules document at

h ttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_hea lth/animal_diseases/scrapie/downloads/umr_scrapie.pdf.

Premises Identification Number Tags for Slaughter Swine

PIN tags for slaughter swine provide an option to officially identify sows and boars to the premises where they were kept immediately before entering harvest channels. PIN tags for slaughter swine may be obtained from authorized manufacturers. As with the USDA backtag applied at markets, the PIN tag will be collected as an official form of identification to be associated with any blood or tissue samples collected for disease surveillance . If a PIN tag includes a manufacturer printed number that is unique within a herd, the tag would also qualify as an official eartag for interstate movement of individual animals

.


# Replacement of Official Identification Eartags

Replacement eartags for retagging animals that lose their official eartag are defined in 9 CFR 90.2(d) , r emoval or loss of official identification devices.



# Issuance of Duplicate Official Identification Eartags

Duplicate official identification eartags may be obtained from approved eartag manufacturers

when an official eartag was lost and the owner or person responsible for the animal needs to retag the animal with the official identification number of t he lost eartag. This may be a standard practice for some breed registries or other genetic companies that use official eartags in their

programs . For AIN eartags, the manufacturer will submit a record to AIMS with the information

on the reissuance and dist ribution of the duplicate eartag . Additionally, the eartag manufacture r will imprint the designated symbol on the eartag to reflect that the tag is a duplicate of a previously issued tag. When the duplicate eartag contains radio frequency identification

te chnology, the manufacturer will encode the number in accordance with ISO 11784 for administering transponders

.


# Approved Tagging Sites

Approved tagging sites are locations authorized by APHIS, State, or Tribal animal health officials where livestock may be officially identified on behalf of their owner or the person in possession, care, or control of the animals when they are brought to t he tagging site . In these

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### cases , livestock required to be officially identified may be moved interstate and officially identified at the approved tagging site.

The animals must be officially identified at the tagging site before they are commingled with animals from other premises or identified by other practices that will ensure the identity of the animal is accurately maintained until tagging . This will ensure the official identification numbers of the eartags are correlated to the owner of the animals (or person responsible) when shipped to the tagging site. For example, a livestock market, acting as an approved tagging site, may use backtags to temporarily identify the animal upon unloading. The approved tagging site , at a minimum, must :

• Obtain officia l identification eartags as directed by APHIS, State, or Tribal a nimal h ealth

o fficial s.

• Maintain a record of all official identification eartags received for tagging animals at the tagging site.

• Receive animals requiring official identification on behalf of their owner or the person in possession, care, or control of the animals when they are brought to the tagging site agrees to have the animals officially identified in accordance with approved tagging site protocols.

• Maintain tagging records using forms or electronic systems as directed by APHIS, State,

or Tribal animal health officials to include, at a minimum:

- The name of the owner or person responsible for the animals tagged and their street address, city, State, and ZIP code

- The official identific ation numbers of the tags applied associated with the owner or person responsible for the animals.

- The date the official identification eartags were applied

.

• Submit the records of tags applied to the designated a nimal h ealth o fficial as directed by
APHIS, State, or Tribal animal health officials

.

When animals are moved to an approved tagging site to fulfill the offic ial identification requirements, the interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other movement document

must contain a statement verifying that the official eartags are to be applied at an approved tagging site along with the name and complete address of the tagging site. States will provide public listing of tagging sites.

Entities interested in becoming an approved tagging site should c ontact their APHIS, State, o r Tribal animal health official

.