Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is announcing a series of public meetings to receive input on the current Animal Disease Traceability system.

The meetings will allow APHIS to hear from the public about the successes and challenges of the current ADT framework, specifically for traceability in cattle and bison. They will also provide attendees an opportunity to brainstorm ideas about overcoming these challenges and finding ways to fill gaps in the existing system.

These meetings will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in seven locations.

April 11: Oklahoma City, Okla., Tower Hotel Oklahoma City, 3233 Northwest Expressway
April 13: Riverdale, Md., USDA Center at Riverside, 4700 River Road
April 20: Nashville, Tenn., Renaissance Nashville Hotel, 611 Commerce Street
May 2: Bloomington, Minn., Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, 7901 34th Avenue South
May 4: Denver, Colo., Doubletree by Hilton Denver, 3203 Quebec Street
May 11: Rancho Cordova, Calif., Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova, 11211 Point East Drive
May 24: Billings, Mont., Hilton Garden Inn Billings, 2465 Grant Road

Those planning on attending a meeting are asked to register in advance. Same-day registration will also be available at each meeting site.

In 2013, APHIS published a final rule establishing general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate. The original ADT framework was designed to be flexible to allow states and tribes to meet the animal identification requirements without imposing a one-size-fits-all system across the country.

The goal of the ADT system is to know where diseased and at-risk animals are and when and where they’ve been. It helps ensure a rapid response when animal disease events take place. An efficient and accurate animal disease traceability system helps reduce the number of animals involved in an investigation, reduces the time needed to respond, and decreases the cost to producers and the government.

APHIS is hosting these meeting to discuss participants’ assessment of the ADT framework and to hear feedback from producers and other sectors of the cattle and bison industry on areas that are working well and aspects to consider for improvements.

APHIS will compile the input from the regional meetings and hold a national ADT forum early in the fall. Written statements about the ADT system may also be filed with the USDA through May 31, via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. 

More information about traceability can be found on the APHIS website.