Below is a list of government and industry documents, including USDA documents and comments from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to various agencies and U.S. Congress. These documents all pertain to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and Texas Animal Health Commission tagging regulations.

USDA Documents

USDA’s Cost-Benefit Analysis Overview (April 2009): This 30-page overview is USDA’s summary of its 400+ page cost-benefit analysis, available on the USDA website. FARFA will provide a critique of the analysis as soon as possible.

USDA Veterinary Services Memo re: Administration of Premises Identification Numbers in Veterinary Services Animal Disease Program (December 22, 2008): This memo mandates premises registration anytime VS personnel perform an activity under a federal disease control program on their property, including vaccinations. It states that it revokes the September 2008 memo, but it does not do so completely (click here for a copy of the original memo dated September 22, 2008).

USDA NAIS Business Plan: NEW version, released September 2008.

USDA NAIS User Guide: updated December 2007.

USDA NAIS Program Standards and Technical Reference: version 2.1, updated October 2007.

USDA APHIS Cooperative Agreement Funding Announcement (June 2007): USDA’s announcement of what states need to do to get federal money for implementing NAIS.

USDA NAIS Implementation Plan (April 2006): Although USDA has stated that this document has been superseded, it shows USDA’s failure to respond to producers’ objections in any meaningful way.

Draft Strategic Plan (May 2005): Although USDA has stated that this document has been superseded, it is critical to understanding USDA and industry’s vision for NAIS.

FARFA’s Comments to Agencies and Congress

Comments to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at NAIS Roundtable (April 15, 2009)

Letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, calling for withdrawal of USDA’s proposed NAIS premises registration rule, signed by 72 organizations (March 16, 2009)

Comments to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on proposed rule to mandate premises registration (February 2, 2009)

Freedom of Information Act request to USDA APHIS for cost-benefit analysis (January 22, 2009)

Letter to Texas Animal Health Commission on re-activation of working group (November 20, 2008)

Letter to U.S. House Committee on Appropriations with 65 signatory organizations (June 25, 2008)

Comments submitted on USDA Privacy Act Notice (May 2008)

Comments submitted Texas Animal Health Commission on proposed Texas regulation for tagging dairy cattle (July 18, 2007)

Comments submitted on USDA on NAIS User Guide (January 22, 2007)

Comments submitted Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture – Texas Sunset Commission (September 6, 2006)

Other

Report of the U.S. Animal Health Association (October 2006): Interesting tidbits about the technology have been highlighted. The USAHA’s recommendation that USDA adopt an “interim rule” barring interstate commerce from states that do not have mandatory cattle ID for all breeding cattle is also highlighted, on page 14.

Texas Animal Health Commission’s 2007 Work Plan for NAIS. We have additional documents relating to the TAHC’s Cooperative Agreement with USDA, but they are too large to post on our server. Please contact us if you would like a copy.