USDA ANNOUNCES NEW FRAMEWORK FOR ANIMAL DISEASE TRACEABILITY

It all started this morning with a New York Times piece, USDA Abandons Stalled Animal ID Program. Then we found the USDA Press Release. And then, eventually, the Questions and Answers: New Animal Disease Traceability Framework (a PDF, so save it to your desktop).

The words, and never ever forget they choose words on purpose, make it sound like they are backing way off, but, sorry, I'm way too skeptical to believe it. Did they hear the folks who showed up at the listening sessions last year? Oh yeah, they heard us. But are they really backing off? Snort.

Something else to never forget is that full traceability is required by WHO, OIE, the UN, and the Guide to Good Farming Practices.

Well, we'll be watching the Federal Register like hawks waiting to see how long it takes USDA to make changes to the Code and watching elsewhere for new documents. If any of you fine followers come across new documents, let me know.

If NAIS is unfamiliar to you, buy my novel, First They Came for the Cows: An Activist's Story to learn about the history.