• National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an animal-disease surveillance program implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS).

• The goal of this program is to develop the capability of USDA/APHIS to identify all animals and premises that have had direct contact with a foreign animal disease or a domestic disease of concern within 48 hours after disease discovery.

• This system involves tagging farm animals, providing a specific identification number to a specific farm and specific animal at that farm, and keeping the records of this identification at a USDA/APHIS office. The identification number is used to track the animal(s) and premise(s), when needed.

• The program was originally voluntary, but as of 2009, USDA is moving to make producers' participation mandatory.

Browse related Faqs by tag: beef cattle, poultry, small meat processors, goat, swine, smallmeatprocessors