Does premises identification provide the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture with more information than they previously had?
Premises identification systems of various types have been used by the Department for more than eighty years. The Premises Identification Program in Pennsylvania is the combination of several individual programs used by the states laboratory system. Farmers who have participated in animal health programs are used to being assigned herd numbers or program numbers to represent their operation. By utilizing a common national numbering system, Pennsylvania is able to streamline multiple numbers into one numbering system and prevent confusion. The information used for premises identification is similar to a postal address in that it refers to a physical location, and is not linked to an individual person or animal. Information necessary to receive a premises identification number is simply the species present and a contact person for emergencies.
