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Virginia Tech Assists with Food Safety and Security Efforts
Breeding, marketing, and forage systems are all common concerns for livestock producers, and a new national program may elevate security and animal health to near the top of that list.
Virginia Tech researchers are evaluating animal identification technologies and strategies that may be utilized to implement the National Animal Identification System in the commonwealth. Originating from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal program now encourages those who work with livestock on their property to register their premises so that disease control experts can better track the origin of contagious diseases in the event of a crisis, accidental or otherwise. The project involves a wide array of animal species.
“The national animal identification program includes all species of livestock that most of our producers in Virginia raise,” says Scott Greiner, associate professor of animal and poultry sciences and Virginia Cooperative Extension sheep and cattle specialist. “That would include beef cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry as well as equine, and other species.”
Greiner and his colleagues hope to find what technology, such as radio frequency identification devices, will work best to implement a largescale animal identification effort. In addition to experimenting with the latest equipment, Virginia Tech researchers are investigating what processes might successfully manage a tracking system for thousands upon thousands of animals.
Today, producers across the country have few, if any, guidelines for
monitoring livestock movement. Because the national initiative does not require a uniform system for this, Virginia and other states must
find what system best fits their individual needs.
“Right now, we are in the preliminary stages of the animal
identification program in Virginia,” says Jim Riddell, assistant
director of agriculture and natural resources for Virginia
Cooperative Extension.
With support from Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Office of the State Veterinarian are asking those who work with livestock to register their premises. This includes veterinary clinics, research centers, farms, and county fairs.
“This is completely voluntary, but we strongly encourage livestock producers and others to register their premises,” Riddell says.
With this information in place, officials will be ready to begin a statewide system of animal identification, perhaps even bringing Virginia Tech research in this area onto Virginia farms. As other states do the same, Virginia would join its global competitors in the business of animal tracking.
“When we look worldwide, many of our trading partners already have a national animal identification system in place,” Greiner says. “The United States is prepared to gear up to get that done, and it’s an important step to us maintaining the world marketplace for U.S. livestock and ultimately U.S. food products and helping us to ensure the safety of the food that we supply to U.S. consumers.”
This initiative fits well with the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s research goal to better understand infectious disease and to develop methods for attenuating these diseases with the latest technology. A push for an improved animal monitoring system has gained ground as scientists and health professionals chart the progress of zoonosis, i.e., animal diseases that may spread to humans. Mad cow disease and avian flu are popular examples that have made headlines recently.
“Our models show that certain diseases that plague our livestock can take as few as 30 days to spread throughout the country,” Riddell warns. “From the industry, from the federal government, and from the state, there’s an effort to make sure the quality and safety of our food is what it should be.” What is the future of animal identification and tracking? A decade from now, will we walk into a grocery store and find an identification number on packages of meat that allows us to track down where our foods originated? Riddell says he does not know what the future holds, but he is confident it will include an improved monitoring system for animal health and
food safety.
For more information about the National Animal Identification System, visit http://www.usda.gov/nais/. Premises in Virginia may be registered at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/animalid.html.
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