Joelle Schelhaus (301) 734-0595
Andrea McNally (301) 734-0602
USDA CLOSING NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM LISTENING TOUR COMMENT PERIOD ON AUGUST 3
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2009--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will close the comment period for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) listening tour on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Comments received on or before
Aug. 3 will be considered.
“While the roundtables and public listening sessions are complete, I encourage those of you who still would like to share your concerns and suggestions about NAIS to submit your written comments by Aug. 3,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the listening tour, whether in person or through written comments, for your input on this important topic. We look forward to considering all the feedback before deciding on the future direction of USDA’s traceability efforts.”
The NAIS listening tour was an effort to gather feedback and input about NAIS from producers and stakeholders. The tour included roundtable discussions, public listening sessions and written comments. The information and ideas gathered through these methods will assist the Department in making a decision about the future direction of animal traceability in the United States.
USDA launched a feedback page on the NAIS Web site. Producers and stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.usda.gov/nais/feedback to provide their suggestions and comments before Aug. 3. Notice of this action is published in today’s July 27 Federal Register.
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