USAHA News
United States Animal Health Association
Contact:  Larry Mark - (703) 451-3954 - ldmark@erols.com


For immediate release:

PROGRESS REPORTED ON NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (NAIS)

	HERSHEY, Pa., Nov. 9, 2005 - Premises identification is the starting point of the 
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and good progress continues to be made in this 
area with all states operational and some 147,200 premises registered to date.
	This information was presented at the meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association 
Livestock Identification Committee here this week.  It was pointed out that an animal's 
birthplace and all subsequent location movements are essential information needed to track 
animals.  Under the NAIS, each premises (a location that manages or holds animals) must be 
identified with a unique seven-character identifier, which is known as a premises identification 
number (PIN).

	The committee also received information on the AIN Management System, a Web-based 
program that administers the Animal Identification Numbers or AINs.  AINs are allocated to 
companies that manufacture official identification devices or technologies.  Other individuals 
and organizations may perform roles that support the distribution of official identification 
devices to producers.  The complete and accurate recording of the AINs distributed and assigned 
to each premises is imperative.  The AIN Management System allows for many participants in 
various roles and provides the means to record AIN allocations to manufacturers for distribution 
to premises.

	Officials from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported 
that the agency will award $3 million in cooperative agreements to states and Native American 
Tribes to conduct research to develop or test potential solutions for animal identification and 
automated data collection in support of the NAIS.  Areas where applicants were encouraged to 
propose research or field projects included:

	- Enhance the effectiveness of collecting animal identification data in typical production; 
	- Establish identity validation when official identification devices are lost, removed, or 
	malfunction; 
	- Conduct economic assessments of animal identification systems and technologies in 
typical production, market, and slaughter environments; and
	- Evaluate emerging animal identification technologies with advanced data collection 
systems to ascertain the adaptability of the technology for use in NAIS.

	The deadline for applications -- which will be available in the next week on 
www.Grants.gov -- is December 30, 2005.

                                       ###