|
Frequently Asked Questions
Premises
Q. Am I required by law to register my premises?
A. NAIS is a voluntary program at the Federal level. You are not required by USDA to register your premises. Individual States may choose to keep premises registration voluntary or not, based on local needs. USDA strongly believes that the best approach to premises registration is a voluntary system led by the States and tribes.
Q. Why should I register my premises?
A. In an animal health emergency, no one can help you protect your animals if they don't know you are there. The basic contact information provided during premises registration opens the lines of communication between producers and animal health officials. Registering your premises means that you will be alerted quickly when there is a potential disease threat to your animals. You then have the information and assistance you need to take action and protect your animals and your investment.
Besides - registering your premises is free. It's a quick and simple process. And Federal law protects individuals private information and confidential business information from disclosure.
Q. How do I register my premises?
A. You can voluntarily register your premises by filling out the form available on the registration page on this website. You may also contact your State or Tribal NAIS Administrator for a form. Click here for contact information. Premises registration forms are also available on each State's department of agriculture Web site. You may opt to register your premises online through us, or by mailing or faxing the form to your NAIS contact.
Q. What information do I have to provide to register my premises?
A. When registering your premises, you will be asked to provide the following information:
Name of the entity
Appropriate contact person
Street address/city/state/zip code
Contact phone number
Operation type (production unit, market, exhibition, slaughter plant, etc.)
Alternative phone number(s)
This is the basic contact information USDA recommends for registering premises. However, premises registration is carried out at by the States and Tribes. Each may have their own additional information requests for premises registration, based on local needs.
Q. Can I discontinue participation in NAIS after I register my premises?
A. NAIS continues to be a voluntary program at the Federal level, and has established a procedure for premises registration removal. Because individual States and Tribes are responsible for registering premises, requests for such a removal must be submitted through your State animal health official or State NAIS administrator, who will decide whether to authorize the request.
Animal Identification
Q. What is premises registration?
A. Premises registration is an effort to establish a complete record of all locations in the United States where livestock and/or poultry are raised, held, or boarded. If you choose to register your premises, the basic contact information you provide ensures that you will be notified quickly when a disease event might put your premises and your animals at risk.
While premises registration is a part of NAIS, it is independent of the other two program components (animal identification and animal tracing). Choosing to register your premises in no way obligates you to participate in the rest of NAIS.
Q. What is a premises?
A. In general, a premises is a location where livestock and/or poultry are raised, held, or boarded. Examples would include farms, ranches, markets, exhibitions, and slaughtering facilities.
Q. What is animal identification?
A. Animal identification is the second component of the voluntary NAIS. Whether individual or group/lot, animal identification provides producers with a uniform numbering system for identifying their animals. The individual animal identification number (AIN) is unique and stays with the animal for its lifetime. This number links the animal to its premises of origin; when combined with animal tracing, the AIN also links the animal to each premises/location that has been reported for it.
Animal identification offers a valuable tool for producers and owners whose animals enter commercial production, or move to locations where they come into contact with animals from multiple/other premises.
Q. Am I required to participate in animal identification if I choose to register my premises?
A. No. Choosing to register your premises does not obligate you to participate in the other components of NAIS.
Q. Does NAIS allow for animals to be identified as a group?
A. If your animals "stay together" and are raised as a group, and travel through the production chain that way, you may want to consider group/lot identification, rather than individual identification. When animals "stay together" as a group, individual identification of each animal in the group is not necessary because it does not enhance disease response efforts.
Q. How can I purchase official Animal Identification Number (AIN) tags or devices?
A. In order to purchase AIN devices, you should first determine if the type of identification devices you prefer are available. To obtain AIN devices, you will need to register your premises, since you will be asked to provide a Premises Identification Number (PIN) when you purchase your AIN devices.
You can then contact an authorized AIN device manufacturer for the AIN device managers and resellers in your area. When you purchase the devices, you will provide your Premises Identification Number (PIN). Once the PIN is confirmed to be correct, the managers or resellers will ship the AIN devices to you.
A list of AIN manufacturers is available here. Click on the "List ID Devices" link in the left sidebar. Authorized AIN tags will have "NAIS" listed in the "Approval Status" column.
Q. What is animal tracing?
A. Animal tracing is the third component in voluntary NAIS and is under development by the States and private sector. Once complete, voluntary animal tracing will offer an additional option to improve animal management and better protect animal health. Producers will be able to choose an animal tracking database (owned and operated by private industry groups or States) and report certain animal movements that might pose a significant risk of disease transmission.
Q. What benefit does animal tracing provide?
A. When there is a disease outbreak or other animal health event, the animal tracking databases provide timely, accurate records that show where your animals have been and what other animals have come into contact with them. This information makes it easier for producers, States, industry, and USDA to determine the scope of a disease situation and locate infected animals. It also ensures that you receive accurate information about where a disease event is occurring and where it is headed.
In addition to protecting livestock, a producer who chooses to participate in the animal identification and animal tracing components of NAIS may use the same methods of identification and information reporting to support source and/or age verification programs. This offers a strategic advantage in a highly competitive market.
General Questions
Q. I received a survey in the mail from the National Agricultural Statistics Service. It appears to be about NAIS. What is this?
A. Every five years, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts a Census of Agriculture. In order to prepare a complete and accurate mailing list for the Census, NASS mails the "National Agricultural Identification Survey" (NAIS) to possible farming and ranching operations in the United States. This survey helps ensure that these operations receive a Census form in the mail at the end of the year. 2007 is a Census year.
This survey has nothing to do with the National Animal Identification System.
Q. Who is participating in this survey? How did NASS obtain my name?
A. The 2007 Agricultural Identification Survey was sent to more than a million individuals and organizations. Names were obtained from a variety of sources, and surveys were sent when one or more of the sources indicated that an individual was involved in agriculture.
Q. Is this survey part of or related to the National Animal Identification System?
A. No. Again, there is no relationship between the two programs.
Q. Many animals are already identified through disease control programs - so why do we need NAIS?
A. There are a number of animal health programs that include an animal identification component (i.e., cooperative eradication programs for brucellosis and scrapie). And many States have information systems in place to locate at-risk animals and premises in the case of a disease outbreak or other animal health event. But these systems are not uniform in nature or connected, and they do not apply to all livestock species and diseases. NAIS - a modern, streamlined information system - enables producers and first responders to address any disease situation affecting any segment of animal agriculture in our country. And it allows for more rapid, coordinated, and efficient disease response.
Q. Why is it important to quickly find potentially exposed premises and animals?
A. The more quickly potentially exposed premises and animals are located, the more quickly a disease can be contained. The length of time it takes to gain control over a disease event dictates the extent of the economic losses, market closures, and other social harms it causes. In other words, time is money - for everyone involved.
Q. Will my private information be protected?
A. Federal law protects individuals’ private information and confidential business information from disclosure. Furthermore, USDA maintains only limited premises registration information and will not have direct access to animal identification or movement records. If USDA needs animal movement and location information to respond to an animal health emergency, data will be requested from the private and State databases where it is held.
Q. Will NASS share the results of its survey with APHIS, or forward information to the National Animal Identification System's databases?
A. No. The information collected by the NASS survey and census is safeguarded by multiple measures to protect confidentiality. Only specific NASS employees have access to survey data.
Federal law requires your knowledge and consent for NASS to release any data about you or your operation.
Q. Will APHIS share its National Animal Identification System information with NASS?
A. Federal Law protects a producer's private information and confidential business information from disclosure. As a result, APHIS cannot share much of its NAIS information. In addition, APHIS houses only a limited amount of basic contact information in its NAIS premises registration database. This information is insufficient for the purposes of NASS' survey.
|
