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USDA Gives New Plan for Livestock ID

USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week and end to previous plans for a national animal identification system.

Instead, USDA will develop a new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability in the United States, Vilsack said.

He added that the new plan would "respond directly" to the feedback from livestock producers across the nation.

Vilsack said the framework will include these four components:

·         Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce

·         Be administered by the states and tribal nations to provide more flexibility

·         Encourage the use of lower-cost technology

·         Be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rulemaking process.