What is being done to ensure the privacy of ranchers and farmers records? Will information collected for the NAIS be exempted from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?
USDA recognizes the concerns about the confidentiality of this information and is working on options to allay these concerns. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the national information repositories will only include information for animal and disease tracking purposes. Proprietary production data will remain in private databases. FOIA can be used to obtain information from a Federal agency when that agency has custody and control of a record. USDA is very much aware of producers’ concerns about the confidentiality of information collected as part of the NAIS and is taking them very seriously as officials explore the most effective means for collecting animal identification information. Accordingly, USDA is pursuing various options for appropriately protecting the information in the NAIS from public disclosure.
