USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to amend animal disease traceability regulations and require electronic identification for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison.

The agency is also proposing to revise and clarify record requirements.

The changes are aimed at strengthening the nation’s ability to quickly respond to significant animal disease outbreaks.

“Major animal disease outbreaks hurt our ranchers and farmers and all those who support them along the supply chain, threaten our food security and impact our ability to trade America’s high quality food products around the world,” the agency said in a press release.

Rapid traceability in a disease outbreak could help ranchers and farmers get back to selling their products quicker, limit how long farms are quarantined and keep more animals from getting sick, according to the agency.

The proposed rule would require official eartags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison.

It would also revise and clarify certain record requirements related to cattle, including requiring official identification device distribution records to be entered into a tribal, state or federal database made available to APHIS upon request

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has been engaged with USDA, cattle producers and others to ensure cattle producers’ interest are represented as USDA works toward a nationally significant animal disease traceability program, said Todd Wilkinson, NCBA president-elect and chairman of the association’s traceability working group.

“It is critical that any program ultimately adopted by USDA allows for maximum flexibility and privacy. At the same time, USDA must also minimize the costs for producers and any business disruptions to the industry,” he said

“Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks across the globe continue to result in disruptions to commerce and depopulated livestock. The need for bold action is immediate and evident,” he said.

But NCBA is committed to working with USDA to ensure workable solutions are identified and ultimately implemented, he said.

“Cattle producers can be confident that any finished product will protect our national livestock herd. We will ensure it provides maximum producer privacy and flexibility with minimal costs, exactly what our stakeholders have told us they expect from USDA,” he said.

An effective animal disease traceability program should:

• Be compatible with private sector animal ID and verification programs backed by USDA.

• Be compatible with the general traceability principles of the World Organization for Animal Health.

• Recognize existing USDA programs for beef exports.

• Be built using infrastructure that supports other potential uses of ID.

• Utilize low-cost electronic official tagging devices paid for by federal and/or state funds, when possible.

• Require cattle ID information for disease traceability be kept confidential and strongly protected from disclosure.

• Protect ownership information from disclosure to future owners.

• Protect producers from liability for acts of others, after the cattle have left the producer’s control.

• Operate at the speed of commerce.

• Not replace or impede existing state brand inspection activities.

• Work within a framework to accommodate all classes of cattle.

USDA is taking comments through March 22. The proposal can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3GTuPAL .