Is the National Animal Identification System Mandatory or Voluntary?
This article was originally published in the January issue of the Horse Gazette. Numerous sources have reported that the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS, is voluntary. But is that really true? On November 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a “User Guide” for NAIS. In it, USDA states that NAIS “is voluntary at the federal level.” Those are critical words – they mean that the USDA will not adopt regulations that make NAIS mandatory at the federal level. But what is the real impact of that announcement? In the User Guide, the USDA notes that it still wants a “complete record of all locations, or premises, in the United States,” and identification of all animals that “enter commerce or commingle with animals at other premises.” [2] Bruce Knight, the new undersecretary for marketing and regulation, continues to say that USDA wants 100% participation by January 2009, which was the goal they announced in April of this year. [3] Think about that for a minute
