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The National Animal Identification System in the US tracks animals, including those intended for commercial food, to monitor and control epidemics. Participation is voluntary but tied to government aid. Critics argue it will increase costs and disadvantage smaller farms.
In the United States, the National Animal Identification System is a program intended to track a number of different animals, some intended to be sold as commercial food and some not. Strictly speaking, the program is voluntary. However, many government programs and some types of agricultural aid are tied to program participation, making it difficult for farmers not to become involved at some point.
The main objective of the National Animal Identification System is to enable the monitoring of animals in the event of an epidemic. In such cases, determining where the animals come from could be of paramount importance in determining what other animals could be affected. In some cases, this could affect the entire food supply.
When a disease outbreak occurs, health officials need to know three critical pieces of information. The first is which animals have been infected or involved in the outbreak. The second is the location of those infected animals. The third is what other animals may have been exposed to the disease. The National Animal Identification System would help identify all three of these pieces of information.
One of the key features of the National Animal Identification System is the tracking of animals in the system. Whenever an animal is sold or moved, the National Animal Identification System keeps track of it. At some point, this information may be used in labeling so that all consumers know where the meat was at what stage in the process, both live and after slaughter.
Criticisms of the National Animal Identification System center on the types of animals that need to be traced and the perceived double standard between corporate farms and smaller family farms. All farm animals may need to be tagged by those who participate. However, larger companies may identify their animals as a whole, not individually, which may give them an advantage. Additionally, all large farm animals, even those not used for food, should be included in the program, adding further costs to the program.
Furthermore, those against the National Animal Identification System say it will only increase food costs and government red tape. While it may make the food system safer, the fees associated with identifying each animal will be passed on to the consumer, critics say. This will only hurt the US food industry and make it more difficult to compete abroad, they argue. However, some overseas markets require an identification system detailing every move, for fear of bovine spongiform encephalitis, known as mad cow disease, and other common animal diseases.
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