American Hog News USDA

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Friday, September 26, 2008Print This Page
Chinese Swine Industry to Expand its Market
US - The U.S. Grains Council is hosting a Chinese swine management team in the United States.



The team attended the Alan Leman Swine Production Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, to learn more about swine disease eradication programs, which have been successfully implemented in the United States. The programs target diseases such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases.

The team also visited several veterinary clinics and production labs to gain more knowledge on practical health management systems. “The team was especially interested in the conference’s private sessions which discussed new technologies and disease control methods,” said Jason Yan, USGC technical program director in China.

“Some of the team members are close to hog industry services labs in China and will utilize the knowledge gained to help influence best health management practices used within these industries.”

The recent PRRS outbreak in China created a shortage in pork output and caused prices to skyrocket. Additionally, with expected growth in pork demand over the next five to ten years, China will need to embrace more modern approaches to swine production and management, most important of which will be the application of improved technologies associated with animal nutrition and health.

According to Yan, the team was also interested in the new ethanol facilities on the West coast that will focus on exports of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to China “It will be easy to ship DDGS to China from there and the facilities will also supply quality feed for the market,” he said. “Since healthy hogs and greater numbers on feed will create demand and sales opportunities for U.S. feed grains and coproducts, the Council will continue to provide training and technical support to this vital sector of the Chinese meat production industry.”

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Friday, November 07, 2008Print This Page
Vitamin in Meat and Fish Fights Alzheimer's
US - Researchers at the University of California Irvine have found that high doses of a vitamin helped mice to overcome memory problems similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans. And that vitamin - nicotinamide - is found in poultry meat, pork and fish.



Researchers report that huge doses of an ordinary vitamin appeared to eliminate memory problems in mice with the rodent equivalent of Alzheimer's disease, reports USA Today.

At the moment, it is not known if the treatment will have the same effect in humans. Researchers are beginning to enroll Alzheimer's patients in a new study, and it is too soon for scientists to recommend that people try the vitamin on their own outside of normal doses.

"It's definitely promising, and if we combine this with other things already out there, we'd probably see a large effect," said study author Kim Green, a researcher at the University of California at Irvine.

Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans, causing senility and often leading to death. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that the disease will strike one in eight Baby Boomers.

There is no cure for the neuro-degenerative condition, and medications have only limited effects.

In the new study, Dr Green and colleagues looked at nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that is found in foods such as pork, peanuts, turkey, chicken, veal, fish, salmon, swordfish, tuna and sunflower seeds.

Previous research has suggested that vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 may help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, said Dr Ralph Nixon, vice chair of the Alzheimer's Association Medical & Scientific Advisory Council.

In the new study, researchers genetically engineered mice to develop the equivalent of human Alzheimer's disease. They tested their memory by putting them in a shallow pool of water and seeing if they could remember the location of a platform that would allow them to emerge from the water.

The researchers then gave vitamin B3 to some of the mice; the amount was equal to 2-3 grammes of the vitamin for humans, Green said. The mice were again tested in the pool.

The findings were published online on 5 November in The Journal of Neuroscience.

The forgetful mice that took the vitamin did well.

"Cognitively, they were cured," Dr Green said. "They performed as if they'd never developed the disease."

The vitamin appears to work by clearing 'tangles' of a protein known as tau in brain cells. In Alzheimer's disease, the protein becomes poisonous and contributes to dangerous clogging inside brain cells.

The vitamin holds promise for people, because it is cheap — Dr Green bought a year's supply for $30 — and appears to be safe. Even so, "until we've done the proper clinical trials, I wouldn't advocate people rush out and eat grams of this stuff each day," he said.

Dr Nixon said the new study is "intriguing," but people should be cautious and not assume that "more is better" when it comes to possible treatments, even ones that appear to be safe, concludes the report in USA Today.

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008Print This Page
Sales of Animal Medicines Rose in 2007
US - The Animal Health Institute has published a report covering the volume of medications used in farm animals and pets in 2007. Total sales were up by 5 per cent compared to the previous year, which could be explained by increased meat production.



Working with veterinarians to provide them the tools to keep farm animals and pets healthy, animal health companies increased sales of antibiotics in 2007. Antibiotics are critical disease-fighting medicines used to treat diseases in dogs, cats and other companion animals, and in farm animals to improve their well-being and ensure the production of safe and wholesome food.

Total sales for use in animals rose 5 percent over 2006, according to data provided by the research-based companies that produce animal medicines. One factor that may have contributed to the increase was an increase in U.S. meat production of more than 2 billion pounds.


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"The entire increase in the percentage of the total amount used for growth and efficiency was in ionophores, compounds not used in human medicine." 

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The antibiotic data were collected from a survey of members of the Animal Health Institute (AHI), consisting of companies that make medicines for pets and farm animals.

"Animals are prone to illness and they require medicines to treat and prevent disease," said AHI President and CEO, Alexander S. Mathews. "Animals need medicine, too, and the availability of these medicines to protect animal health is an essential tool in the fight to protect human health."

The amount of the total used for growth and efficiency in 2007 was estimated to be 13 per cent, up from less than 5 per cent the previous year.

Two factors accounted for this increase. First, revisions to prior years' reports were recognized. Second, some increase was expected as animal producers struggle with high grain prices and seek to capture both the economic efficiencies and the health benefits derived from the use of these products. Notably, the entire increase in the percentage of the total amount used for growth and efficiency was in ionophores, compounds not used in human medicine. The amount of non-ionophore compounds used for growth declined slightly in 2007.

"These figures are an indication that producers are employing judicious use principles," said Mr Mathews. "As they try to gain efficiency to combat high feed costs, they are being careful to use compounds that have no chance of impacting human health."

All antibiotics undergo a rigorous approval process at the Food and Drug Administration that includes an assessment of safety of the product for the treated animal and safety of the milk and meat produced. In addition, all proposed antibiotic products as well as those previously approved undergo a risk assessment procedure, called Guidance 152, to scientifically measure the safety of the product with respect to health hazards resulting from the spread of antibiotic resistance. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves antibiotics used in animals for four purposes: Disease treatment, disease control and disease prevention, which are considered by FDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association to be therapeutic, and for growth promotion.

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008Print This Page
ISU Seeks Link Between Pathogens and Illness
US - Iowa State University researchers are examining the link between food-borne salmonella from pork and interventions in the slaughterhouse.



No food processor wants pathogens contaminating the product in the plant for at least one obvious reason: the product on sale at retail might carry the risk of foodborne illness. Beyond that, it is unclear what are the chances that a consumer will become ill.

Helen Jensen and colleagues are seeking to connect the dots to determine how changes in the pork production process affect the predicted number of people who become ill with salmonellosis because of pork and how food safety interventions affect risk as well as industry costs. By learning that information, the meat industry would be able to figure the costs of intervening at points in the production process that would be the most effective in making the product safer.



Professor Helen Jensen"We think this model will be helpful for the industry whether it's the packing plant or the Pork Board," said Professor Jensen, an Iowa State University (ISU) professor of economics. She has collaborated with Scott Hurd, an associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine who is spending most of 2008 on leave from ISU as deputy undersecretary for food safety at the US Department of Agriculture. They are pursuing the research with support from the Food Safety Consortium.

Professor Jensen said in discussing the subject with the pork industry, the key question has been whether to invest resources in the farm or in the slaughterhouse. "Then if we do invest resources in the slaughterhouse or on the farm, what's the gain we're going to get? Gain in this situation is measured by reduction in the number of human cases of illness," she said.

It is unusual to carry the research all the way to measuring the number of human illnesses. Professor Jensen noted that US research has not explored that angle to the extent that Europeans have done. Data are limited on salmonella in the United States for anyone seeking to find out about its sero-prevalence - the number of persons who test positive for a disease stemming from the bacterium.

"We're mostly depending on one study done here at Iowa State which has found that the really large swine farms have a somewhat higher sero-prevalence than everybody else," Professor Jensen said. "Now we're converting our data by size categories so that we can put them into our model and say, 'If that's true for the whole the whole US and we apply those data across all herds in the US, how is that going to work out as far as the number of contaminated carcasses?'"

The epidemiological model is being integrated with a multi-market economic model that evaluates producer and processor behaviour and the economic effect on the pork industry.


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"How many human cases of salmonella can we reduce per dollar invested?" 
Professor Jensen
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One significant question to follow is what interventions can be made during the production process that will have an effect on curbing human illness. It is not an easy matter to resolve.

"There's a tendency to think that there's a nice linear relationship - every reduction of salmonella on the pig farm is going to reduce human health risk by the same portion. And that's just not true, for a number of reasons," Professor Jensen said.

Professor Hurd analysed data from Denmark, which has kept more extensive records of the cause-and-effect situation than has the United States. In Denmark, the data show that pathogen reduction on the farm had little impact on human health risk. But pathogen reduction in the slaughterhouse did make a difference.

"The Danish study showed the most cost-effective place to invest resources was in the slaughterhouse because you get a better return on your investment when return is measured in terms of human health cases," Professor Jensen explained. "How many human cases of salmonella can we reduce per dollar invested?"

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Thursday, November 27, 2008Print This Page
Milo the New Corn for Pigs?
US - Many central US swine producers in recent years switched to a corn-based diet for their stock. That decision may now need to change.



"With our recent harvests, as well as the increasing demand for corn in ethanol production, corn prices have risen dramatically -- especially in comparison to milo's (grain sorghum). As a result, milo is emerging in many areas of Kansas as the more economical feed alternative," said Bob Goodband, swine specialist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

He uses a long-established price-point "rule" to assess when milo becomes competitive. That rule suggests milo merits a serious look whenever its price is 96 percent or less of the market value of corn.

"In some locations, milo now is just 70 percent of the value of corn," Goodband said.

Pound for pound, milo can totally replace corn in all swine diets, he said. A milo variety's color (red, yellow, etc.) seems to have no impact on its nutrition. Average daily gains of pigs fed milo-based diets have proven to be similar to those of pigs fed a corn formulation.

Producers may want to consider, however, the fact that milo is a bit lower than corn in both energy and lysine content. Unless countered, this can lead to a small drop in feed efficiency.

"They might want to make a slight adjustment in soybean meal or synthetic amino acids," he said.

Milo has a small kernel that's much harder than corn's. So, proper processing is vital, Goodband warned. Roller mills are best for achieving the optimum particle size of 600 to 700 microns for meal diets.

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US pig firm to import wheat for feed

Murphy-Brown, the pig-raising unit of Smithfield Foods Inc. plans to import wheat from Britain and Brazil for use as animal feed, a company spokesman said earlier this week. It is cheaper to import the wheat to the U.S. East Coast than to transport domestically grown corn or wheat by rail from the Midwest, spokesman Don Butler said.


The company also plans to import some wheat middlings, a by-product of milling wheat that can be used in dietary formulas, from Nigeria, he said. Butler would not say how much wheat Murphy-Brown plans to import or how much money it will save by importing it. The grain will come into the U.S. through Wilmington Bulk LLC, a North Carolina-based feed-buying consortium representing large southeastern livestock companies.

"We will be bringing in some wheat in December and January to really take advantage of the differential between ocean going freight rates and rail delivery," Butler said. Traders on the Chicago Board of Trade agricultural floor have heard rumors for the past several weeks that U.K. wheat would be imported to the U.S. East Coast. This will be the first time in three years that Murphy-Brown has imported grain through Wilmington Bulk, Butler said.

It is a bit surprising that Brazil would import wheat to the U.S. as analysts recently have suggested Brazil may need to buy U.S. wheat to meet its own needs. Brazil normally buys most of its wheat from Argentina, but Argentina is facing a shortfall due to dry weather and reduced plantings.

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Monday, December 08, 2008Print This Page
Iowa Discovers New Value in Hog Manure
IOWA - High fertilizer costs have some Iowa farmers warming up to a previously shunned byproduct of the business - manure.



There's no indication that Iowans have taken to the smell of manure that hovers around many of the state's hog lots, but a new survey from the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University shows farmers are placing a higher value on the commodity, says KCCI.com.

Farmers said that is because manure is a much cheaper alternative to commercial fertilizer.

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Monday, December 08, 2008Print This Page
Using Futures Markets Can Improve Margins
US - Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt says pork producers should take advantage of the chance to make money.



According to Pal-item.com, Mr. Hurt said using the futures market to sell lean hogs, while buying less costly grain, will improve margins.

"Hog producers lost a lot of money this year and we're seeing herd cutbacks in the US and Canada. In addition to herd cutbacks, the financial crisis is pushing feed costs down," Mr. Hurt said.

Consumers may eat more pork because it's lower in price, about $2.92 a pound compared to $4.31 a pound for beef, Hurt said. Corn and soybean meal prices are down, making it less costly to feed livestock.

"When you combine the lower cost of production with the smaller hog supply, pork producers should see some profitability by later winter -- February or March," Hurt said.

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Tuesday, January 06, 2009Print This Page
Behaviour and Performance of Weaned Pigs
US - From the University of Minnesota, Li and Johnston have published a paper on the behaviour and performance of pigs previously housed in large groups. They highlighted possible welfare issues when mixing pigs born to group-housed lactating sows. Body weight variation led to more aggression and injuries for the unfamiliar pigs.



A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of social familiarity and initial bodyweight (BW) variation at mixing on performance and welfare of pigs born to group-housed lactating sows.

A total of 180 pigs from 24 litters were used in a random design with 4 treatments in a 2 x 2 (social familiarity x initial BW uniformity) factorial arrangement. Pigs were born in group-farrowing rooms where they mingled in large groups of 66 to 80 pigs from 10 d of age. At 8 weeks of age (BW = 23 ± 3.1 kg), pigs were allocated to 20 pens of 9 pigs (5 castrated males and 4 females) in a grow-finish room, with five pens assigned to each of four treatment combinations without consideration of relatedness.

Familiar groups consisted of pigs from one farrowing room, and unfamiliar groups consisted of three pigs from each of three different farrowing rooms. Uniform weight groups were formed by using the middle two quartiles, and variable weight groups by using the heaviest and lightest quartiles of pigs.

Aggression and activity behaviour were directly observed by either scan or continuous sampling during a period of four hours on the first 3 days, day 7 and day 14 after grouping. Injury scores were assessed on all pigs immediately before and 48 hours after grouping. Weight gain and apparent feed intake were measured every 2 weeks for 14 weeks. Aggression in familiar groups was minimal throughout the observation periods.

Compared with that in familiar groups, total duration of fighting was greater in unfamiliar groups on day 0 (upon grouping, 48.5 versus 0.5 ± 10.88 s/pig(-1).4h(-1); P<0.001) and on day 1 (10.8 versus 0.4 ± 3.24 s/pig(-1).4h(-1); P< 0.05) after grouping.

Unfamiliar pigs had greater injury scores (6.6 versus 1.8 ± 0.28; P<0.001) and spent less time eating on day 0 (5.1 versus 8.8 ± 0.92 per cent of total observation time; P<0.01) after grouping compared with familiar pigs.

Average daily gain and average daily feed intake were lower in unfamiliar groups during the initial 6 weeks but not for the entire 14-week period in comparison with familiar groups.

Weight variation did not affect behaviour and performance in familiar groups but increased aggression-induced injuries in unfamiliar groups.

The results indicated that grouping unacquainted pigs derived from large groups induced overt aggression, associated injuries and initial reduction in performance, which causes welfare concerns on mixing pigs born to group-housed lactating sows.

Reference
Li Y.Z. and Johnston L.J. West Central Research and Outreach Center, University of Minnesota, Morris MN 56267. Behavior and performance of pigs previously housed in large groups. J Anim Sci. 2008 Dec 19. [Epub ahead of print]

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Monitoring Nutrient Deficiencies in Pigs
US - A new South Dakota State University publication explains how to monitor certain nutrient deficiencies in starter, growing, and finishing pigs.


With current high feed costs and lower market prices for pigs, producers are looking for ways they can to reduce the cost of production. Since feed represents more than 70 per cent of the cost of raising pigs, producers often look to lower production costs by reconsidering their feed options.

Phosphorus is one of the more expensive ingredients used in supplementing pig diets, and many producers have decreased the level of supplemental phosphorus levels in swine diets.

The publication looks at the increasing costs of dietary ingredients, and spells out the necessity of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D3 in the diets of pigs of various ages and weights.

Using tables to explain the required levels of these key nutrients, the publication offers illustrations of various problems such as rachitic rosaries and abnormal bone formation caused when producers do not provide adequate levels of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D3.

Chris Hostetler and Bob Thaler, both faculty members in the SDSU Department of Animal and Range Sciences, authored the publication.

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Thursday, January 08, 2009Print This Page
Presence of US Pork Growing in Russia
US - The United States and Russia recently agreed to changes in the protocol governing trade of poultry, beef and pork.

 

The biggest gain for US farmers and ranchers in this new agreement is a near doubling of the country-specific tariff rate quota for US pork.

The quota had been 50,300 metric tons (110.9 million pounds) per year, but has now been increased to 100,000 metric tons (220.5 million pounds) for 2009. The trade protocol between the two countries has been in place since 2005, and the US pork quota has never exceeded 55,000 metric tons during that time. The previous high was 54,800 metric tons – about 119 million pounds - during 2006.

According to USMEF Economist Erin Daley, Russia is attempting to grow its own pork industry. But it simply doesn’t have enough domestic pork production at this time to meet its growing needs.

Ms Daley explains that the increase in the quota will help make US pork more affordable to Russia. Pork entering Russia within the quota is only subject to a 15 per cent duty, while the tariff rate for above-quota imports is increasing from 60 per cent to 75 per cent. The higher quota is especially important, because of a growing presence of US pork in Russia.

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Friday, January 16, 2009Print This Page
The Future of US Livestock is Genetically Modified
US - The US Food and Drug Administration today issued a final guidance for industry on the regulation of genetically engineered (GE) animals, which advises the use of GE animals for food.



The guidance, titled "The Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals Containing Heritable rDNA Constructs," clarifies the FDA's statutory and regulatory authority, and provides recommendations to producers of GE animals to help them meet their obligations and responsibilities under the law.

Genetic engineering generally refers to the use of recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques to introduce new characteristics or traits into an organism. When scientists splice together pieces of DNA and introduce a spliced DNA segment into an organism to give the organism new properties, it is called rDNA technology. The spliced piece of DNA is called the rDNA construct. A GE animal is one that contains an rDNA construct intended to give the animal new characteristics or traits.

“This guidance will help the FDA efficiently review applications for products from GE animals to ensure their safety and efficacy ," said Randall Lutter, Ph.D., deputy commissioner for policy.

The FDA released the draft guidance in September 2008 with a 60-day public comment period, and received about 28,000 comments. The agency has summarized and responded to these comments on the Web site listed below.

The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) says it has been working with developers of GE animals on both early stage and more mature applications.

“At this time, it is our intent to hold public scientific advisory committee meetings prior to making decisions on GE animal-related applications" said Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of CVM.

Relating to food animals, the document says: "if you wish to introduce investigational animals or animal products into the food or feed supply, you must request an Investigational Food Use Authorization (21 CFR 511.1(b)(5)). For those animals subject to slaughter inspection by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), we will inform FSIS if our safety concerns are met and we grant you an Investigational Food Use Authorization".

FSIS has oversight of most meat, poultry, and egg products, and enforces tolerances (maximum allowable amounts) set by FDA on new animal drug residues in such products.

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Saturday, January 17, 2009Print This Page
Weekly Review: Poultry Cutback Good for Pork
US - Weekly review of the US hog industry, written by Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.

 
Ron Plain
The current cutback in broiler production is big in absolute terms as well as based on history. US broiler slaughter for the 52 weeks ending 27 December was 0.7 per cent lower than the previous 52 weeks. Broiler production has a record of growth practically every year and the declines in the past have been small --0.2 per cent or less.

Fourth quarter broiler slaughter was 5.8 per cent lower than one year earlier. Broiler egg sets were 7.6 per cent lower in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to a year earlier. This suggests broiler production in the second quarter will continue at record-high reductions from 12 months earlier.

Also positive is the broiler-type hatchery flocks. As of 1 December, 2008, they numbered only 52.4 million head, the lowest level since September 1997.

The cross-demand relationship between pork and poultry is quite high based on the most recent research. Therefore, this reduction in poultry supplies and higher prices should be positive to pork demand.

Pork exports in November were up from a year earlier but by only 0.47 per cent. Exports of pork to Hong Kong and Mainland China were down 57 per cent from 12 months earlier.

For the first 11 months of 2008, total pork exports were up 53.45 per cent. Mainland China and Hong Kong purchases from the US were up 155.7 per cent for January-November.

Pork imports for January-November into the US were down 15.7 per cent and for November, pork imports were down 6.0 per cent from 12 months earlier.

For January-November, net pork exports in 2007 were 9.73 per cent of production. For the same months of 2008 they were 16.91 per cent of production. In other words, we reduced the supply of pork for domestic consumption by 7.18 per cent of production.

For November 2007, net pork exports as a per cent of production were a positive 13.2 per cent. For the same months of 2009, net pork exports were 14.6 per cent of production.

Pork product prices were pushed down to a about $56 per cwt of carcass, which pushed packers' margins deep into red territory on Wednesday afternoon. For the week through Thursday, the cutout at $56.26 per cwt was down $3.06 per cwt from a week earlier. Loins at $76.48 per cwt were up $1.07 per cwt, Boston butts at $60.54 per cwt were up $3.70 per cwt, hams at $40.11 per cwt were down $10.99 per cwt and bellies at $64.76 per cwt were down $3.22 per cwt from a week earlier.

Live hog prices Friday morning were $2-3 per cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. Weighted average negotiated carcass prices were $0.32-$1.19 per cwt higher compared to a week earlier.

The top live prices Friday morning for select markets were: Peoria $36.00 per cwt, Zumbrota, Minnesota, N/A and interior Missouri 41.00 per cwt. The weighted average negotiated carcass prices by area were: western Cornbelt $57.12 per cwt, eastern Cornbelt $55.69 per cwt, Iowa-Minnesota $56.76 per cwt and nation $55.97 per cwt.

Feeder pig prices this week at United Tel-O-Auction were up to $15 per cwt above two weeks earlier. All of the United pigs weighed in the 50-60 pound category and sold from $101-126 per cwt.

Slaughter this week under Federal Inspection was estimated at 2325 thousand head, down 3.9 per cent from 12 months earlier.

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Monday, January 26, 2009Print This Page
Will US Consumers Eat Up GM Meat Rule?
US - On January 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided how it will regulate genetically engineered animals, for the first time paving the way for such animals or their products to be sold as food and medicine.



A wide range of interested parties, including companies developing genetically engineered animals and consumer protection groups, are generally comfortable with the FDA decision, writes Jill U. Adams of the Los Angeles Times. And yet, consumer acceptance of transgenic animals, particularly as food products, is still an unknown.

According to the Los Angeles Times report, American consumers have been eating food from genetically engineered crops, such as corn, soybeans and canola, for a decade. However, transgenic animals have not been sold, pending the FDA deliberations on how to regulate them.

Genetic engineering is a high-tech way to "breed" desirable traits into livestock. The benefits might be for the producer, such as a disease-resistant cow or an easy-to-raise salmon. It might be for the environment -- pigs that produce milder manure, for example -- or for the consumer, say, more nutritious meat.

The old-fashioned way of breeding farmed animals requires selecting offspring with desired traits over successive generations. Ron Stotish, chief executive of Aqua Bounty Technologies in Waltham, Mass., says the power of genetic engineering is that the same end is achieved in "one fell swoop." Transgenic animals also can be fitted with traits they probably would never develop naturally, as in the case of omega-3-producing pigs

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Monday, January 26, 2009Print This Page
Calls for Obama to Stop US Animal Identification Rule
US - The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund called on the new administration to permanently halt a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rule that would effectively mandate the implementation of the first two stages of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for thousands of Americans.



The proposed rule, entitled the “Official Animal Identification Numbering Systems,” was published by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the Federal Register January 13. On Tuesday, the Obama administration ordered federal agencies to halt all pending regulation until they can be reviewed.

“The APHIS regulation is further evidence of the department’s unrelenting effort to make a so called voluntary program mandatory, and it should be permanently stopped by the new administration,” said acting Fund president Pete Kennedy.

“This effort by the former Bush administration is yet another back-door attempt to circumvent the will of the U.S. Congress which has repeatedly failed to pass legislation making NAIS mandatory and the will of four separate state legislatures that have passed legislation explicitly prohibiting the mandatory implementation of NAIS,” said Kennedy.

The Fund filed suit last year against the USDA and the Michigan Department of Agriculture to stop the mandatory implementation of NAIS, which is the USDA’s plan to electronically track every livestock animal in the country. The Michigan Department of Agriculture has implemented the first two stages of NAIS – property registration and animal identification – as part of a state-wide bovine tuberculosis disease control program required by a grant from the USDA.

The proposed APHIS rule seeks to amend current domestic livestock regulations to allow only numbers beginning with an 840 prefix to be used to tag animals for use in official programs such as existing disease control efforts. Numbers beginning with 840 are specific to the NAIS program, and, in order to obtain an 840-numbered tag, animal owners will need to first register their premises with NAIS.

“This proposed rule is just the latest in a series of actions taken by the USDA to make NAIS mandatory over the objections of small farmers, ranchers and four state legislatures,” Kennedy noted. “Not only will the use of the 840 tags cost them money, but their private information and data will now be entered into a national database that will be accessible not only by state and federal agencies, but also by private organizations. Farmers don’t want that,” Kennedy said.

In September of last year, USDA issued a memo to its Veterinary Services Management Team ordering federal, state and private veterinarians to assign a premise identification number to any property whose owners participate in or are subject to a disease management program such as having their animal vaccinated. Those who refused were to be registered against their will.

“In the face of overwhelming opposition, USDA cancelled the September memo with a follow-up memo in December, but in doing so, reiterated its policy of using NAIS premise identification numbers for the administration of animal disease programs,” Kennedy said, “thus continuing its effort to make NAIS mandatory.”

Both the September and December memos were cited by the Fund in an amended complaint filed Jan. 16 to its original suit.

The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court – District of Columbia on September 8, 2008, asks the court to issue an injunction to stop the implementation of NAIS at both the state and the federal levels by any state or federal agency. If successful, the suit would halt the program nationwide.

The suit charges, in part, that USDA has published rules and issued guidance documents (that are tantamount to legislative rules) regarding NAIS in violation of the Federal Administrative Procedures Act; has never performed an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act; is in violation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act that requires the USDA to analyze proposed rules for their impact on small entities and local governments; and violates religious freedoms guaranteed by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.