Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Listening session on Animal ID System held in Austin

Let your voice be heard! In Austin, on Wednesday, May 20, USDA will host a listening session to gather public opinion on the future of animal identification and traceability in the United States.

The animal ID system is designed to enable producers and animal health officials to respond quickly to disease outbreaks. The system is created to pinpoint the source of disease within 48 hours, contain its spread and track infected animals. Read more about it here.

According to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, even after a five-year effort to create the animal identification system, many producers are still uneasy with the program because of additional costs related to the new system and what they believe is government infringement on their operations.

Keep in mind, USDA could act on this issue very soon, so don’t miss the chance to voice your thoughts. The session runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Wednesday at the Embassy Suites Hotel, located at 5901 N IH-35, in Ballrooms C, D, and E. For more information on the public feedback sessions, click here.

1 comment:

Cat said...

This is a great idea! All of the Austin vet clinics need to adopt this system so that disease and lost animals can be tracked. I hope that more cities decide to take this on for the safety and well being of our animal friends. Talk to more clinics like http://www.austinveterinarianclinics.com
to get the campaign going!