APHIS plan available to public

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A plan to advance animal-disease traceability, authored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is being released to the public for review and comment before implementation is considered.

The plan outlines actions to help partner the efforts of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) with those of government-regulated animal-health programs, industry-led management and marketing programs.

The traceability plan aims to create infrastructure that supports the long-term goal of the NAIS — the ability to identify all animals and locations that have been in contact with disease, according to APHIS.

The plan can be viewed online at http://www.animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/.