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by Amy Beth Graves

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns is a firm believer that the United States needs to have a comprehensive animal identification plan in place. But even Johanns acknowledges that doing so will be difficult.

"This is a very, very difficult situation in terms of trying to touch all the bases and get this system right. But I continue to believe that if we work together to work through these issues, we are going to have successful animal ID system," Johanns told American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) "Newsline" radio program last month.

Two years ago, USDA announced the framework for the National Animal Identification system (NAIS). The goal of the program is to protect U.S. agriculture by developing a trace-back system that can identify all animals and premises potentially exposed to a serious disease within 48 hours.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) has the same concerns about the proposed program as AFBF: how much will the system cost and who will pay for it, will the database of information remain confidential and will producers face more liability issues? To keep members up to date about NAIS, OFBF is hosting a series of informational meetings statewide through September. A list of upcoming meetings is listed on the front of OFBF’s Web site, www.ofbf.org, under "events."

The NAIS system could cost as much as $100 million annually, according to Kelli Ludlum, AFBF’s director of congressional relations. Last year Congress allocated just $33 million. USDA has already spent $84.7 million on developing an animal tracking program over the past 10 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Cost is a big factor. There must be adequate funding from Congress," said David White, OFBF’s director of commodity relations.

Glen Feichtner, who has feeder cattle operations in southern Ohio and western West Virginia, described animal ID as a "sticky subject."

"There’s definitely people out there who are against it while there’s some who say it should have been done a long time ago. It’s a complex issue," he said.

Feichtner said that while he believes having a national animal ID system is necessary to ensure the United States remains competitive worldwide, he is concerned about who will pay for it. Because NAIS is still a work in progress, federal officials haven’t been able to say how much identification tags will cost or what other on-farm costs may be. Some critics say that the costs of tagging every animal could drive small farms out of business or discourage hobby farmers.

"Funding for a national ID system has to start at the cow-calf level but you can’t expect the cow-calf man to bear the brunt of the cost of the system," said Feichtner, past president of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association.

NAIS needs to be industry driven, Feichtner said, noting that he is concerned that a government-run program would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, allowing anyone access to information about producers.

"I’m concerned about confidentiality – that the radical fringe groups would get a hold of our information. That’s nobody’s business," Feichtner said.

Darol Dickinson, whose family is one of the world’s largest Texas Longhorn producers, said the cost of the program down the road is a concern.

"I’m not aware of taxes going down. There hasn’t been any cost value analysis done. Farmers are frugal people – they want to know these things," he said.

Dickinson of Barnesville also is concerned about commingling of animals. He said that if a suspect animal commingled at a county fair, rodeo or livestock auction, the impact would be devastating. Thousands of animals could be ordered quarantined if they theoretically came into contact with a suspect animal, he said.

"During fair season, this could tie up every animal in the Midwest," he said.

Critics say country of origin labeling will keep the United States competitive and some point out that there are already animal identification systems in place such as with the sheep industry. Dickinson brands his animals, which he says is more effective than tagging because tags can become damaged or fall out.

"If you can take the tags in and out, that’s not a permanent ID system," he said.

While Johanns has said it’s best to keep NAIS voluntary, both Feichtner and Dickinson said they believe it will become mandatory.

"Animal ID will never happen until it’s mandatory," Feichtner said.

One of USDA’s first goals is to have 25 percent of all U.S. premises registered by January 2007. Premises include farms, markets, exhibitions, packing/processing plants and other locations that produce, hold or manage livestock. So far, less than 15 percent of premises nationally have been registered, according to the USDA.

"If you can’t get 15 percent of the people to buy into the program, then that should tell you something," Dickinson said. "But we’re going to wind up with a mandatory program anyway. We just don’t know when or what it will be."