ADVANCING ADT

ROAD MAP FOR

MISSISSIPPI

A Three-Year Plan

Submitted by:

JAMES A. WATSON DVM, DACVPM

STATE VETERINARIAN

MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH

121 N. JEFFERSON ST

601-359-1170

[SIGNATURE] __________________________________________________________________ 

Submitted to:

RACHEL CESAR-MARTINEZ

AREA VETERINARIAN FOR MISSISSIPPI

VETERINARY SERVICES

ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

345 KEYWAY DRIVE FLOWOOD, MS 39232 

 601-936-8580 Date: 05/23/2022
Table of Contents

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................... 3

II. CURRENT TRACEABILITY SITUATION............................................................................ x

2.1 Who are we? ....................................................................................................................... x

2.2 Where are we now?............................................................................................................. x

2.3 Strengths and Weaknesses.................................................................................................. x

2.4 Opportunities and Threats................................................................................................... x

2.5 Inventory of existing infrastructure and suitability assessment.......................................... x

III. VISION AND MISSION CONTEXT FOR ADVANCING TRACEABILITY....................... x

3.1 Vision statement ................................................................................................................. x

3.2 Mission statement ............................................................................................................... x

IV. TRACEABILITY REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................... x

4.1 Strategic goal(s) ................................................................................................................. x

4.2 Programmatic goal(s) (Objectives) .................................................................................... x

4.3 Animal Disease Traceability performance measures.......................................................... x

4.4 Data requirements............................................................................................................... x

4.5 Information technology plan............................................................................................... x

4.6 Resource requirements........................................................................................................ x

4.7 Organizational needs........................................................................................................... x

4.7.1 Executive support............................................................................................ x

4.7.2 Coordination and oversight procedures........................................................... x

4.7.3 Policy............................................................................................................... x

4.7.4 Staffing............................................................................................................ x

4.7.5 Budget requirements ....................................................................................... x

4.7.6 Outreach .......................................................................................................... x

4.7.6.1 Accredited veterinarians..................................................................... x

4.7.6.2 Slaughter Plants.................................................................................. x

4.7.6.3 Industry as a whole............................................................................. x

4.8 Monitoring and reporting interstate movement activity ..................................................... x

V. ADVANCING TRACEABILITY............................................................................................. x

5.1 Ranking of priorities for advancement ............................................................................... x

5.2 Implementation of objectives.............................................................................................. x
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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Agriculture is Mississippi’s number one industry, with poultry and cattle the largest livestock 

enterprises within the state. The primary function of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health 

(MBAH) is to control and eradicate communicable diseases of poultry and livestock; therefore 

Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) is a core component to carry out the mission and is 

accomplished through its many daily activities. MBAH has been participating in animal 

identification and disease traceability programs since 2004. As Trace Performance Measures 

were developed, it became more apparent that records needed to be accessible electronically to 

meet the standards. The utilization of Trace First / CoreOne has allowed Mississippi to make 

huge strides in having electronic data available to meet disease traceability needs. Correctly 

identifying and tracing animals when a disease occurs are critical for the success of MBAH to 

respond to disease occurrences, yet challenges remain in implementing a traceability system that 

covers all species of concern. This plan will focus on cattle, sheep and goats. 

Previous efforts to advance animal disease traceability include encouraging producers to obtain 

a premises identification number. More recently, we have worked with most of the livestock 

markets in the state to place electronic ear tags in all cattle going through the chute while at the 

market. Traceability in the poultry and swine industries in the state is currently sufficient.

There should be no issues with supporting animal health information needs with other 

States/Tribes/Territories and USDA nationally. We would provide requested information to these 

entities as requested.

Successful implementation of this plan should result in a rapid response to catastrophic animal 

diseases, enable continuity of businesses for MS livestock and poultry producers, and enhance 

compliance with state and federal ADT rules.

• What is the fundamental problem(s) this plan addresses? The primary 

challenges are making sure all animals have official identification when 

moving interstate, obtaining the data associated with animal movements and 

identification, and rapidly retrieving ADT data. 

• What are the key elements in summary form? Key elements of this road 

map include: Conversion of paper movement information to an electronic 

format, support for electronic data processes such as EIDs, automated 

electronic readers, eMovement Documents and Test Charts, and data sharing, 

outreach, monitoring and reporting of interstate movement activity. 

• What are the primary benefits? Successful implementation of this plan 

should result in a rapid response to catastrophic animal diseases, enable 

continuity of businesses for MS livestock and poultry producers, and enhance 

compliance with state and federal ADT rules.
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Timeline proposed for this plan: 

FY 2021: 

• Continue entering official ID data (individual animal ID numbers, ICVIs, etc.) into the 

SCS/CoreOne. Utilize StateVet.com or purchase another software program. 

• Continue to assist market personnel with tagging efforts at approved livestock markets. 

• Provide funding for livestock field inspectors, ADT veterinarian and data entry personnel.

• Promote the use of 840 EID in livestock markets, exhibition animals, disease investigations 

and herd work.

• Encourage and support infrastructure for reading EIDs at approved livestock markets and 

other locations. 

• Distribute orange EID OCV tags in lieu of metal OCV tags 

• Obtain premise IDs and allocate 840 EID tags to markets, exhibition animals, producers, 

and veterinarians.

• Cooperate with USDA to provide compliance with ADT rule

• Promote the use of electronic test charts and CVIs through educational meetings with 

veterinarians

FY 2022: 

• Continue entering official ID data (individual animal ID numbers, ICVIs, etc.) into the 

SCS/CoreOne. Utilize StateVet.com or purchase another software program. 

• Continue to assist market personnel with tagging efforts at approved livestock markets. 

• Provide funding for livestock field inspectors, ADT veterinarian and data entry personnel.

• Promote the use of 840 EID in livestock markets, exhibition animals, disease investigations 

and herd work.

• Encourage and support infrastructure for reading EIDs at approved livestock markets and 

other locations. 

• Distribute orange EID OCV tags in lieu of metal OCV tags 

• Obtain premise IDs and allocate 840 EID tags to markets, exhibition animals, producers, 

and veterinarians.

• Cooperate with USDA to provide compliance with ADT rule

• Promote the use of electronic test charts and CVIs through educational meetings with 

veterinarians 

FY 2023: 

• Provide funding for maintenance or additional upgrades of livestock market facilities.

• Provide continuing education to accredited veterinarians, livestock market and Animal 

Health official personnel in the use of EID reading equipment and data reporting, as well 

the phase out process for metal NUES tags

• Continue data entry into SCS/CoreOne database. Utilize StateVet.com or another 

software program. Continue entering all official ID into SCS/CoreOne (market tagging, test 

records and CVI). 

• Expand MBAH electronic capability for data capture, transmission, storage and retrieval. 

Obtain necessary software, hardware and equipment. 
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• Obtain premise IDs and allocate 840 EID tags to markets, exhibition animals, producers, 

and veterinarians.

• Cooperate with USDA to provide compliance with ADT rule

II. CURRENT TRACEABILITY SITUATION

2.1 Who are we?

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health is a 15 member board consisting 

of the Commissioner of Agriculture, and other livestock industry members 

as well as university personnel such as the Dean of Animal and Dairy 

Science and the Dean of College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, there 

is a member of the Livestock Marketing Association that is a board member, 

as well as a representative of Farm Bureau and the Mississippi Cattle 

Association. Because of the unique make-up of this board, the board also 

acts as the ADT Advisory Group. Each board meeting, which occurs 

quarterly, an update and discussion on ADT issues occurs. The primary 

focus of the ADT Program is to have traceability data available for disease 

investigations and control of outbreaks. This is accomplished through:

a. Education and Outreach to producer groups

b. Implementation of the use of RFID tags for official 

identification

c. Adequate infrastructure at the state and local levels.

a. IT/Database infrastructure in the state office

b. Computers and readers for livestock markets and 

veterinarians

c. Adequate supply 840 RFID Tags 

d. Compliance Enforcement Activities

2.2 Where are we now?

The MBAH has been given level or decreased state appropriated funds for the past 5 years. There 

seems to be a decreased interest at the leadership level of the legislative branch to support 

animal agriculture in general, and specifically Animal Disease Traceability issues. State funding 

does not even adequately cover personnel and salaries for MBAH on an annual basis. Federal 

cooperative agreement funding is required to fund program work. 

Animal disease traceability is a critical component of the overall animal health program. We 

facilitate compliance with the USDA ADT rule by MBAH employees recording traceability data of 

the livestock at livestock markets. Current focus is on implementation of electronic identification 

at livestock markets to evaluate the advantages for MBAH staff and market interests. MBAH 

strives to continue enhancing our capabilities to electronically record and transmit ADT data in 

the field. We currently have Microsoft capable laptops and RFID readers in all markets to allow 

electronic recording of ADT data from the application of RFID tags. This capability will allow data 

to be uploaded directly into CoreOne/SCS with minimal manipulation. 

The MBAH staff work with livestock market owners and consignors to special cattle sales to 

ensure that replacement animals are tagged with RFID tags, and the information is submitted to 
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the office staff electronically. All replacement bulls undergoing testing for Trich must have official 

identification, and RFID tags are provided to veterinary clinics to utilize for official identification.

Cooperative agreement funding has been utilized to provide handheld readers for 

veterinarians involved in large animal practice, in order to facilitate the utilization of RFID tags 

when identifying animals for official identification. Veterinarians have been visited in their clinic 

in order to demonstrate the use of the ear tag readers, and the available ways to collect both 

RFID numbers and health records in one spreadsheet.

Within Mississippi, the current components of the ADT Program are as follows.

1. TraceFirst/CoreOne is used as the primary traceability data storage 

resource. 

2. Animal movements are entered into CoreOne. Animal movements are 

collected in several ways. 

a. Incoming and outgoing CVIs may be paper or electronic based. 

In either case they are entered into statevet.com to be shared with 

other state’s systems. MBAH has a dedicated data entry person 

to enter the movement data into StateVet.com to be uploaded 

into CoreOne.

b. Interstate movements at private and public sales are collected 

after the sale occurs to get the animal identification and interstate 

movement information to enter in to StateVet.com/CoreOne. 

3. All Official Identification from Test Charts is entered into 

TraceFirst/CoreOne. 

4. Official identification tags and Certificates of Veterinary Inspection 

distribution information is entered into the Trace First system. 

5. Office staff reviews the incoming CVIs for quality control; any animals 

not meeting entry requirements are traced and dealt with accordingly.

6. Field personnel are at each livestock sale and are able to monitor ADT 

compliance. There are also several national shows that occur and field 

personnel are present to check CVIs on all animals entering the show 

grounds.

7. Animal traces are conducted for disease and exercise purposes.

8. There are multiple regional and state-wide meetings and shows that are 

opportunities for education by being present and passing out educational 

material. In assessing the existing situation, this section is intended to 

link inventory of existing infrastructure with a broader range of 

considerations.

2.3 Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: The MBAH is a small agency, but has a staff dedicated to carrying out its disease 

control mandate by the presence of a well-trained animal regulatory program and field force. 

Established protocols are routinely followed. MBAH has full-time personnel that enter data 

related to ADT. StateVet.com, SCS CoreOne, and Excel spreadsheets are used as the primary 

means of data collection, reporting and storage. The agency has developed close working 

relationships with the major livestock industry groups within the state, the Mississippi Veterinary 
7

Medical Association, and has developed collaborative efforts with Mississippi State University 

Cooperative Extension Service. These alliances have allowed the state to leverage the ability to 

carry its ADT activities. By virtue of its size, the agency can be flexible and respond to new issues 

or needs in a very timely manner, without the encumbrances often felt by larger organizations 

more political in nature. 

Weaknesses: Mississippi is primarily a cow-calf beef production state, therefore most cattle 

movements are calves being exported to other states for feeding/grazing purposes. In most of 

these operations electronic identification is not seen as an advantage, so until there is mandatory 

identification and listing of ID on CVIs there will be little interest in EID usage. Having to manually 

enter official identification from paper or electronically scanned movement and test documents 

is costly and prone to data entry error and leads to loss invaluable time when trying to trace 

diseased animals. Due to lack of state budget support (as has already been mentioned) MBAH is 

left without having personnel that can help manage IT issues related to traceability such as 

promoting and integrating electronic CVIs, testing data etc. As technology changes, and more 

electronic CVIs become available and as software systems change, keeping up with IT issues is a 

real struggle for small organizations such as MBAH. We are reliant on third party vendors and 

consultants to keep our systems current.

•

2.4 Opportunities and Threats

Opportunities: An ADT Program that is primarily based on electronic data is a huge opportunity 

for a small organization such as MBAH. The information is housed centrally, available 24/7 

through internet and cloud-based programs, allowing management by only a handful of 

personnel. As systems develop, the ability for large animal veterinarians to create CVIs 

electronically in the field and have the information submitted immediately to our office is a huge 

benefit to all concerned. MBAH is tasked as the lead agency in responding and mitigating impact 

of natural disasters and animal diseases that would affect animal agriculture. An efficient ADT 

program is essential to a timely response and a critical element in fulfilling this responsibility. 

Successful implementation of this plan will potentially save thousands of animals and mitigate 

the overall economic impact that disease threats have on producers and the state.

Threats: The two primary threats to ADT in Mississippi are the lack of interest by industry in 

moving animal traceability forward and the lack of budget support to keep the program moving 

forward. Lack of compliance enforcement is another real threat to the program. At the state 

level, there aren’t enough inspectors to do a good job of compliance, and when there needs to 

be enforcement action, there is not enough USDA APHIS VS support for IES agents to complete 

an investigation.

2.5 Inventory of existing infrastructure and suitability assessment

Below are the resources available to MBAH to carry out the ADT Program.

• Human resources

o State Veterinarian oversees the ADT Program

o Full time data entry clerk
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o 2- Office Support personnel that are available to help with 

permits and validating entry requirements of incoming CVIs 

as well as issuing PINs

o Deputy State Veterinarian helps oversee quality control and 

data entry of movement and identification information

o Field Veterinarian to coordinate with the field inspectors to 

insure ADT electronic data capture at all stockyards 

o Livestock Inspector that oversees tag allocation management 

as part of job description

o Livestock Inspector that oversees Movement Document 

(CVI) allocation as well as RFID Tag distribution as part of 

job description

o 9 Livestock Inspectors that attend 20 stockyards, Disease 

Traces, Compliance activities as part of job description

o The state is divided into north and south regions. Field 

supervisors report directly to the State Veterinarian

• Space availability

o Administrative Office in Jackson MS where State 

Veterinarian and administrative support is housed, provided 

by State of Mississippi.

o Field Office in Hattiesburg MS where Deputy State 

Veterinarian and Poultry Division is housed. Provided by 

State of Mississippi. This is where the data entry clerk 

works.

• Connectivity resources, both in office and in the field.

o In both offices, connectivity is provided by the state.

o Field connectivity requires laptops and wireless 

connectivity, as Livestock Inspectors all work from home.

• Access to USDA animal disease traceability and animal health 

information resources

o The state has access to TraceFirst CoreOne System

• Organization of all existing paper record systems used to access 

animal disease traceability or animal health information

o Due to extremely limited storage space, the previous years’ 

worth of paper records is kept in the office, the other records 

are sent to be scanned onto a DVD. The paper documents 

are then sent to archives to be kept for 4 years then destroyed. 

• Computerized data management capability, including present 

storage size, speed, security, etc.

o All Official Animal ID information and movement 

information is currently being uploaded in a state version of 

CoreOne by TraceFirst by using StateVet.com. This 

information is entered by a data entry clerk and overseen by 

the Deputy State Veterinarian. 

o Security of data is protected by virtue of the internet access 

being provided by the State ITS system with its firewall and 
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other security systems. MBAH falls under the State of 

Mississippi ITS security protocols. CoreOne also provides 

security to its system.

o Internet speed is not an issue due to high quality internet 

provided by the State ITS Agency. 

III. VISION AND MISSION CONTEXT FOR ADVANCING TRACEABILITY

3.1 Vision Statement 

Mississippi State Code authorizes the State Veterinarian under the authority 

of the Board of Animal Health to promulgate regulations and to initiate 

programs as necessary to prevent and control contagious diseases of 

animals. The MBAH, as the authorized entity in Mississippi, would have 

the resources and personnel to oversee an adequate ADT Program in 

coordination with USDA APHIS VS that protects the economy of

Mississippi by overseeing disease and disaster responses in a manner that 

prevents further spread of disease or loss of livestock 

3.2 Mission Statement

As Mississippi’s veterinary authority, the Mississippi Board of Animal 

Health improves the productivity, health, and quality of life for animals and 

people, and maintains and promotes the safety and availability of animals, 

animal products, and veterinary biologics. 

IV. TRACEABILITY REQUIREMENTS

The following categories must be described in the Road Map: 

4.1 Strategic goal(s)

1. Enhance electronic sharing of data among Federal and State animal 

health officials, veterinarians, and industry; including sharing basic 

ADT data with the Federal Animal Health Events Repository (AHER); 

2. Increase use of electronic ID tags for animals requiring individual 

identification in order to make the transmission of data more efficient; 

3. Enhance the ability to track animals from birth to slaughter through a 

system that allows tracking data points to be connected; and

4. Elevate the discussion with States and industry to work toward a system 

where animal health certificates are electronically transmitted from 

private veterinarians to State animal health officials. 

4.2 Programmatic goals (objectives) 

1. Maintain IT Systems necessary for electronic data entry and retrieval.

2. Data collection and entry from movement documents, test documents etc. into electronic

retrievable formats following standards that will allow data to be shared with USDA and 

other states systems. Examine the documents for quality and accuracy so that the entered 

data is correct.

3. Ensure that movement documents and tag distribution data are accurately captured into 

the electronic system.
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4. Continued issuance of Premises Identification Numbers. MBAH issues PINs to all farms 

visited because of animal health work. PINs are also issued when laboratory results are 

entered into CoreOne.

5. Program oversight. It is important that an Animal ID Coordinator be available to direct 

the program and to stay in touch with stakeholders and stay current on new issues 

regarding ADT.

6. An IT person available to work with stakeholders that wish to utilize electronic records 

such as CVIs and making sure the state has appropriate systems in place to integrate that 

data into electronic data systems.

7. Increase compliance monitoring activities. Until there is monitoring for compliance, 

many people are not convinced of the necessity to participate in the program. Mississippi 

code was changed to allow MBAH to fine people who illegally removed official 

identification.

8. Outreach Activities. A successful ADT Program is one that routinely reaches out to the 

stakeholders with relevant, pertinent information, using all the outreach mediums 

available, to include websites, newsletters, brochures, and meeting attendance. 

Regulatory updates, messages, and continuing education for the veterinary community are 

delivered twice annually during the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association 

conferences.

9. Exceed the Trace Performance Measurement Standards.

4.2

4.3 ADT Trace Performance Measures (TPMs)

Completion of TPMs is a required ADT activity. Mississippi has been 

fortunate to not have many actual disease traces, so we rely mainly on Trace 

Exercises. Both the MBAH and USDA APHIS VS work with Accredited 

Veterinarians to make sure they understand the responsibilities under the 

ADT Rule. 

4.4 Data requirements

[This section should reflect a thorough examination of how ADT data are 

acquired; monitored for quality; organized; stored; secured; retrieved; used 

for surveillance; and shared when required. This section would also contain 

a listing of needs for the near term and possibly mid-term future. Valuable 

traceability information continues to be collected and provided in paper 

format. This section should include a discussion regarding how paper and 

electronic animal health information systems will be used and integrated in 

maintaining ADT information. 

• Fully describe standards to be used for location identification, if 

used

o All data standards necessary to issue PINs through the 

federal allocator are used, to include physical address and 

GPS Coordinates. 

• Fully describe standards to be used for official animal identification, 

including arrangements with other States, Tribes, Territories, as well 

as official identification methods/devices used within the 

cooperator’s jurisdiction
11

o With the advent of USDA funding for RFID, Mississippi has 

utilized these tags for official identification of animals 

greater than 18 months of age that are “replacement” cattle. 

Old, pregnant female cattle at stockyards are tagged with 

NUES tags. Orange RFID have been increasingly utilized 

in calfhood vaccinates, as veterinarians are educated 

o The following is a list of standards for Official Identification by 

species: 

o Bovine: Official ear tags (NUES) or Tattoos when accompanied by 

the breed registration certificate. 

o Ovine/Caprine: Official ear tags (i.e. Flock, Scrapie or AIN tags) or 

registration tattoos accompanied by the registration certificate. 

Equine: Description sufficient to identify the animal, Electronic 

Identification (ISO 11784/11785 only after 03/11/2014, Digital 

photographs sufficient to identify the animal. 

o Swine: Official ear tags (NUES, ASH Premises tags) with unique 

herd management number, or tattoos (as allowed by the ADT 

rule). 

o Poultry: NPIP approved devices or methods.

• What tag distribution record keeping systems are being used?

o All distributed tags are recorded in an excel spreadsheet with 

regards to tag numbers, and name of recipient. If the 

recipient is a veterinarian, then records of animals tagged are 

to be returned to the State Vets Office. This information is 

all then entered into Core One 

• What data requirements exist for commuter herd agreements?

• What forms are approved for interstate movement in addition to 

ICVIs?

o Owner shipper statements for animals moving from 

stockyards on state-line back to farmers premises, pig 

movement records from Prestage

• How and when will data be shared with other States, Tribes, 

Territories, and USDA?

o All movement data is entered into statevet.com to be 

uploaded into CoreOne. The out of state data is then 

available to any federal or state entity that is set up to receive 

movement data from statevet.com. Mississippi has been 

doing this for over 8 years and is a very successful way to 

share data with other state and federal partners.

o

• How will group/lot official numbers be handled within the system?

o NA

4.5 Information technology plan
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Mississippi uses CoreOne Trace First as its disease management database, 

in addition to statevet.com to upload and share data with other users. In 

addition, MBAH maintains a website that provides ADT information to the 

public.

4.6 Resource requirements

• Is specific expertise needed that is not currently available?

o A dedicated Animal Disease Traceability Coordinator

• Will consultants be needed?

o A strong working partnership with Mississippi State 

University Extension Center for Technology Outreach has 

provided technical support for the development of Excel 

Templates for collecting information from veterinarians and 

stockyards that provides consistency. 

• Is a continuity of operation plan (COOP) in place and how 

frequently is it tested?

o The ADT system is cloud based, allowing the workload to 

be spread over two locations in different cities. Therefore 

the work can be accomplished wherever there is internet 

connectivity

• Are automated data capture resources needed? 

o Yes, electronic readers for RFID tags and either handheld 

devices or laptop computers are necessary at the field level 

in order to capture the data and submit to the office. All 

cows returning to the farm from a stockyard are required to 

be tagged and then that data submitted electronically to the 

office for entry into CoreOne.

o Scanning devices are needed to scan paper CVIs and Test 

Records to capture the official IDs from those documents.

4.7 Organizational needs

• Does a need for organizational change exist? Is it recognized?

o The organization is currently structured to administer the 

ADT Program

• Can additional resources be leveraged within the current 

administrative structure?

o The Mississippi governor and legislature have not 

volunteered any increased funding for agricultural entities, 

unless there is a disease outbreak or disaster that needs short 

term immediate funding.

4.7.1 Executive support Agency and Industry support for ADT is not an 

issue 

4.7.2 Coordination and oversight procedures

• The Mississippi Board of Animal Health (MBAH) is the 

official state agency charged with controlling and 

eradicating contagious diseases of animals, with the State 
13

Veterinarian as the Executive Director. The Board of 

Animal Health is made up of 15 members both Officio and 

Ex-officio members. The Officio Members are appointed by 

the Governor to 4 year terms. Ex-officio Members include; 

Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce; Mississippi 

State University Dean of College of Veterinary Medicine; 

Mississippi State University Head of Animal and Dairy 

Science; Mississippi State University Head of Poultry 

Science; Alcorn State University Head of Animal and Dairy 

Science. Officio Members include; Mississippi Veterinary 

Medical Association Member; Mississippi Poultry 

Association; Cattle Breeder; Dairy Breeder; Sheep Breeder; 

Farm Bureau Member; Horse Breeder; Livestock Marketing 

Association and Swine Breeder. Additional groups that are 

engaged in the ADT process are Mississippi State University 

Extension, Mississippi Farm Bureau and the Mississippi 

Cattlemen’s Association. The MBAH is the advisory group 

and meets every quarter, so regular updates and issues 

regarding traceability can be discussed. In addition, there 

are always representatives from other livestock groups in 

attendance. The partnership with our federal partners, 

USDA APHIS VS is a vital component of the ADT effort in 

Mississippi. While the Choctaw Indian Tribe is located in 

Mississippi, currently there is no known livestock 

production occurring on their lands. The MBAH would 

work with and coordinate with the Choctaw Nation should 

this change.

4.7.3 Policy

There are no policy issues regarding ADT. The mission of the 

MBAH recognizes the need for ADT.

4.7.4 Staffing

There are several staffing issues mentioned in the roadmap that need 

to be addressed to move the ADT Program forward in Mississippi. 

Animal Disease Traceability functions are embedded within several 

areas of MBAH activities, however position needs are:

• A full time Animal Disease Traceability Coordinator

• Another data entry clerk

• IT person

Job descriptions for the roles needed are provided with job 

announcement openings

4.7.5 Budget requirements

This section is to include not only amounts by project, but also a 

description of sources and accountability.
14

• How are you funded for ADT? State, Tribe, Territory versus 

Federal? MBAH is funded by state General Funds and 

USDA Traceability Cooperative Agreement.

• What are the funding requirements projected by year for 

first, second and third year for implementing this plan? With 

continued level funding, there is no way to make further 

progress within the state. Funding is needed to support data 

entry activities to increase the amount of electronic data 

available for electronic traceability and an ADT Coordinator 

to focus on increased outreach, training support for 

electronic movement data.

• How is cost sharing achieved? It is limited by the amount of 

money USDA gives the state of Mississippi

• How can the applicant insulate against budget cuts and 

shortfalls? Through continued outreach to stakeholders and 

other agricultural organizations within the state, the state 

legislature is lobbied to increase funding for the activities of 

the Mississippi Board of Animal Health

• Can other funding sources be leveraged to support this plan?

The supervisory board for the MBH is composed of 

members of stakeholder groups that could be solicited for 

additional funding. 

4.7.6 Outreach (required to be addressed within the Road Map)

[Successful implementation of any plan to advance ADT cannot be 

achieved without outreach to constituents primarily affected by the 

plan.]

4.7.6.1. Accredited veterinarians

• What is the plan for informing accredited veterinarians of the 

new guidelines for official ID and the specific three-year plan 

for implementation?

o All veterinarians are visited by MBAH or USDA VS 

personnel and given ADT material. In addition, there are 

state and federal personnel at the State VMA Meetings 

to answer any questions.

o Regulatory lectures are given by the State Veterinarian 

to veterinary students several times during their 

education process.

What continuing education is being planned for improving data 

quality relative to animal health information systems being used? 

Submitting official forms in a timely manner?

o What is the plan for enhancing the use of eICVIs, if any? Veterinarians 

are encouraged to use eCVI, and are recommended companies which 

comply with USAHA data standards

o What role, if any, does the accredited veterinarian have in providing 

low-cost, official identification tags/devices to producers? Large animal 
15

veterinarians throughout the state have been familiar with NUES tags 

for years, and currently are able to obtain RFID tags from the MBAH 

provided their clinic has a premises identification number.

4.7.6.2. Slaughter plants

[Because of frequent commingling of livestock, and 

sometimes poultry, at livestock markets, increased 

biosecurity risks are incurred and, as a result, the 

importance of access to traceability information 

when needed is important.

• What continuing education efforts are being 

planned for addressing the concerns of the 

slaughter plants in the jurisdiction? Slaughter 

plants in MS are mainly small operations 

which process animals for individual 

customers. A working relationship between 

custom plants and USDA VS as well as 

MBAH is utilized to obtain samples for 

monitoring disease in swine, sheep, and goats 

where an owner’s name, address, and animal 

identification are collected for sample 

submission.

• What is the plan for accessing or requesting 

traceability information from slaughter 

plants?]

4.7.6.3. Industry as a whole

[Implementation of any plan to advance ADT

impacts a variety of constituents, likely none more so 

than industry itself.

• How is industry being informed of the 

implementation plan?

o Articles are submitted from MBAH 

to the Cattle Business in MS 

magazines

o ADT is part of Beef Quality 

Assurance training

o MBAH personnel speak to producer 

groups, livestock associations, and 

youth organizations

o MBAH veterinarians attend 

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation 

Commodity Group meetings to be 

aware of and speak to constituent 

issues of ADT
16

o MBAH has membership on some 

advisory groups to ensure ADT is a 

topic of interest

o

• How is the advisory committee being 

leveraged for this continuing education 

purpose? The Advisory group takes 

information back to their respective industry 

for dissemination

• What other resources are available for 

industry outreach?

o Social media (MBAH Facebook 

page)

o Television

o Mississippi State University 

Extension

• What constitutes industry? What species are 

involved? Mississippi is primarily a cowcalf state, with a large commercial poultry 

segment and some swine operations that 

raise pigs for finishing in northern states

• How are under-represented and underserved communities being included in the 

outreach plan? Under-represented 

populations are included through a board 

seat on the MBAH board. The Choctaw 

band of Indians does not currently have 

organized animal production units.

4.8. Monitoring and reporting interstate movement activity 

[The traceability framework is focused on interstate movement and the 

accompanying ICVI or similar documentation for that movement.

• How will the number of animals and the number of shipments be 

monitored that move interstate?

• How will the data be verified or validated?

• The following data should be tracked and available upon request

o Number of ICVIs and other interstate movement documents 

created within the State/Tribe/Territory on a year-to-date 

basis for move-out animals

o Number of ICVIs and other interstate movement documents 

received for move-in animals

o Number of animals by species and class for move-in events 

associated with ICVIs and other interstate movement 

documents, indicating the number of animals officially 

identified and the number not officially identified
17

o Number of animals by species and class for move-out events 

associated with ICVIs and other interstate movement 

documents, indicating the number of animals officially 

identified and the number not officially identified

o Volume of distribution for each official numbering 

system/device issued by the State/Tribe/Territory and/or 

AVIC office, including backtags by market or slaughter 

facility]

o Refer to section 2.5 of the ADT Road Map document for 

technical answers where CoreOne and StateVet.com are 

utilized to track animal movements. Quarterly reports are 

submitted to USDA as a requirement of Cooperative 

Agreement funding, and many of the questions are answered 

on a quarterly basis.

V. ADVANCING TRACEABILITY 

5.1 Ranking of priorities for advancement

[This section is intended to show the breadth of elements encompassed in 

advancing ADT. This ranking should identify sufficient projects prioritized 

for funding over the next three years. It will be the basis of comparison for 

the annualized cooperative agreement work plans. What specific steps are 

needed to advance from where the initiative currently resides?

o Imperative to the success of ADT in Mississippi is the continued 

availability of RFID tags from the USDA warehouse.

o Funding for further RFID reader technology, such as panel readers 

for the largest stockyard are necessary to demonstrate the feasibility 

of electronic identification to the cattle producers within the state

o Continued funding for hand-held readers is needed to provide the 

hardware to enable large animal practitioners to utilize RFID onfarm. The availability of fillable pdf laboratory forms paired with 

readers is necessary

• Is a phased-in approach appropriate over the three-year period?

5.2 Implementation of objectives

[Accepting that each year’s cooperative agreement work plan will likely be 

a collection of objectives, this section is intended to identify each of the 

objectives prioritized in V.5.1. and correspondingly listed in IV.4.7.5. and 

describe how each project will be conducted or approached. Objectives 

should be listed and ranked as priorities for each of the planned three years, 

aligning with the three-year budget plan.]