What is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)?
The NAIS is a system of identifying all premises and animals involved in animal agriculture and tracking them through the production chain for disease traceback capability. The goal of the NAIS is to be able to identify all animals and premises that had direct contact with a foreign animal disease within 48 hours of discovery.
On April 27, 2004, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced the framework for implementation of a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) designed to identify any agricultural premise exposed to a foreign animal disease so that it can be more quickly contained and eradicated. She further also announced that $18.8 million would be transferred from the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to provide initial funding for the program during FY 2004. While many livestock species in the United States can be identified through a variety of systems, a verifiable system of national animal identification will enhance our efforts to respond to intentionally or unintentionally introduced animal disease outbreaks more quickly and effectively, Veneman said.
