04/11/06 Animal ID and beef export markets

Washington Ag April 11, 2006 The USDA has laid out its plan for implementing a voluntary national animal identification system to be fully operational in 2009. But Ric Stott of Boise-based Agri-Beef is concerned livestock producers may just sit back and see what happens, letting the government design their destiny. Stott has been involved in the Northwest Pilot Project on animal ID and is also on the board of the U.S. Animal Identification Organization, a private industry entity created as a repository for animal tracking data. USIO is glad to see USDA place a greater sense of urgency on animal tracking. Stott says that according to a unidentified U.S. official involved in talks to reopen U.S. beef export markets, if the U.S. had an ID system in place, the tone of those negotiations would be changed. Stott: "Said there is no question about it that the foreign governments, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, all of those are using this animal ID initiative, or this lack of animal ID in the United States, as a serious negotiating tool and that is hurting every livestock producer in the United States." USIO has successfully tested its system ands Stott says; Stott: "By next fall we hope to be able to deliver one to the nation, to USDA and get this thing going." I'm Bob Hoff.