Printable version
Joelle Schelhaus (301) 734-0595
Marci Hilt (202) 720-4623
NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM PREMISES REGISTRATION NUMBERS CONTINUE TO INCREASE
13 States Now Exceed 50 Percent Premises Registered
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2008--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced that 487,670 premises are registered nationwide as part of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
Producers registered more than 50,000 premises so far in 2008 and 13 states now have at least 50 percent of their total estimated production premises registered through NAIS. The latest state to go over 50 percent premises registration is Iowa.
“Premises registration is the foundation of the NAIS and allows us to better respond to animal health events in the United States,” said Bruce Knight, under secretary of USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs. “The growth in premises registrations this year demonstrates that producers want to work with USDA to protect their animals, their livelihood and their communities. I applaud those who have made the choice to register their premises.”
The 13 states that have topped the 50 percent mark are Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Illinois is very close to the 50 percent mark, with 48.3 percent of its estimated 30,046 premises registered.
Delaware now has more than 40 percent of its premises registered, while Alaska, Colorado and North Carolina now have more than 30 percent of their premises registered. Several other states have made significant gains in the number of premises registered. During 2008, Mississippi tripled the number of registered premises, while Ohio more than doubled the number of registered premises in the state. The number of registered premises in Alabama and South Carolina increased by more than 150 percent. Direct mail and outreach efforts to farmers and ranchers continue this fall to encourage additional registrations.
USDA is working cooperatively with states, tribes and industry partners to implement NAIS, which is a modern, streamlined information system that helps producers respond quickly and effectively to animal disease events. It consists of three components: premises registration, animal identification and tracing. The premises registration component of NAIS ensures the availability of a nationwide communications network to assist producers and animal health officials in the event of an animal disease event. There is an estimated 1.4 million production premises in the United States. To contact a partner or find out more about NAIS, go to www.usda.gov/NAIS.
#
Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type
subscribe press_releases.