Producers air concerns about animal ID; Ill. ag director, Hartke, explains program goals

Mark Buss of Bowen, a beef producer, member of the county fair board and 4-H parent, voiced his concerns about the premise ID requirement for any exhibitors at livestock shows to Illinois Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke during the meeting in Carthage Monday night.

A plan to help biosecurity of livestock ran head on into concerns of livestock producers about that plan and how it is being applied.

Nearly 200 people attended a meeting with Illinois Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke Monday night at the Hancock County Extension Center. The meeting was organized by the Hancock County Farm Bureau, but those attending came from 13 counties of central Illinois and Iowa.

Their concern was for the National Animal Identification System, (NAIS) proposed by the USDA as a voluntary program. In October Hartke issued a requirement that anyone showing at a local, county or state fair must have a premise ID.

“We feel this concern for you is of utmost importance,” Hartke said in his opening remarks about how the system can help track animal disease outbreaks.

“Look back to when we had an outbreak of BSE in Washington state. You producers took a hit. We had some 50 or 60 countries that banned our beef. We still feel repercussions from that. With animal ID, we are trying to take the first step to quickly find out where our livestock are and where they have been.”

At the meeting with Hartke were Jim Kunkle, Illinois animal health director, and Charlyn Fargo, director of Illinois county fairs and h orse racing. Also present were Illinois representatives Rich Myers and Jil Tracy and Sen. John Sullivan.

Kunkle gave a presentation about the need for the NAIS. He noted that while there had been an initial push to have the program mandatory by 2009, it is voluntary now by USDA and in Illinois.

“Premise ID is the first step and the only step we are promoting. Just because you sign up for premise ID does not obligate you to the next step,” Kunkle said.

Sam Zumwalt of Warsaw spoke, giving history of the NAIS, and changes in the position of the USDA and national farm organizations to the plan.

“The voluntary program only has 30 percent enrollment. That means 70 percent of the producers are saying they do not want it. Our goal is to encourage you to over turn the requirement to have a premise ID to show. It is a plan most of our members do not support,” Zumwalt said.

“Requiring our children in 4-H and FFA to have a premise ID to show is not the proper way to encourage enrollment. That's getting to me through my children,” Zumwalt said. He added that he might not have a problem with tagging his livestock, but he did not want the government to require it. He questioned if the push to premise ID was an end in itself, or if once a majority of farms had premise ID, the next steps would be pursued.

“Is this a voluntary program in Illinois or not? What authority do you have to make this a mandatory when the USDA calls it voluntary and there is no legislation passed requiring it?” he concluded.

Hartke said he has the authority.

“We at DOA are charged with protecting agriculture in Illinois. Yes, it is voluntary. It is not a requirement. No where in 4-H and FFA does it say you have to show,” Hartke said.

Kunkle added that exhibitions are the highest risk locations, with animals coming from one location and then moving on to another fair.

Mark Buss, a member of the Hancock County fair board, Hancock County Beef Producers, and a parent of 4-Hers, acknowledged that showing is not required, “but it is a very important part of that program,” he pointed out.

“When kids answer the judge's questions and justify what they have done, that is important. If a child wishes to exhibit and the parent doesn't want to get an ID, is it fair to force the families into that conflict? My son has said he will honor the decision we make. But I know if he is not allowed to exhibit those cattle, that he gets up at 5:30 a.m. each morning to care for, he will be hurt.”

As a fair board member, Buss expressed concern about the requirement that all exhibitors must have a valid ID or fair boards risk receiving premium money.

“We've been told you will not verify those ID numbers before the fair. How do we know that financially we are not going to be devastated by this program? We have this same information on our registration forms. Is it faster for us to send you a list of names, or for us to send a list of numbers that someone must go to a computer and print out a list that we could have given to you?” Buss asked.

Buss also said, as a producer, he is not willing to sign up for a program with no hard and fast regulations.

“I think the obvious next step is animal ID. I put tags in cattle and about a fourth of them don't stay in. For these reasons, I request that you withdraw the program that is going to be a burden on the producing families of Illinois.”

Kunkle said that while the Department of Ag has producer information in other locations, this plan provides one data base which can be accessed quickly in the event of an outbreak. He said they would not hold fairs liable for invalid numbers.

“I agree that it is hard to get through all that information (150 pages of federal NAIS guidelines). That is why we are only promoting the premise ID. It is simple and has no obligation to anything further,” Kunkle said.

Brent Ufkes was opposed to using large national groups such as Angus Association or national FFA to promote the program.

“Not enough producers signed up so you are putting it on the backs of kids to get the critical mass. That's just wrong. With this coercion, Illinois will reach 50 percent and then they can say ‘we have a majority',” Ufkes said. He asked how much money Illinois received from the federal government to initiate this program. Ufkes expressed concern that some FFA youth were being helped to sign up at the national FFA convention without parental knowledge.

Illinois received $180,000, Kunkle said. Each state received some money depending on the number of producers in the state.

Mike Menn works with the county fair rodeo program and races horses around the state.

“Of the 845 equine entries we had at the fair last year, 69 percent were from out of state; 59 percent were from Missouri that does not require a premise ID. A lot of these fairs are important for economic development in their communities. You take that away from them, it goes against everything you say is important for agriculture,” Menn said.

Fargo said that out-of-state horse and cattle exhibitors are being notified, and Illinois has cooperating agreements with other states since it is a federal program. Applications can be filled out on the spot at fair registration.

“We are out for compliance. We're not out to hammer anyone. Illinois wants to be a leader in this. If there's an outbreak, believe me you're going to want to know where that came from,” Fargo said.

Ed Murphy of Montgomery County pointed out that animals shown at fairs must have other health papers and are usually the best, healthiest animals in the state.

Joe Scheetz said that while the Illinois Pork Producers support mandatory ID and require it, that is an industry choice. He urged Hartke to consider making the ID requirement for larger shows, rather than all fairs across the board, and to look at species separately rather than requiring premise ID for a youth showing one or two rabbits or chickens.

Deb Pflasterer from the Hancock County Extension Unit stated: “I want to clarify that the state extension position is that we had no choice but to require an ID, or we could not give out premiums.”

Don Bumphrey, Warsaw, ag teacher, noted that while the national FFA got $500,000 to promote the program, he had concerns about the plan. “I'm not promoting this. I'm not taking class time to sign kids up with premise IDs. If this ID is important to have just for show kids, why not make it mandatory for every producer in the state. Don't penalize kids for getting out there and doing something.”

Speakers representing Calhoun, Morgan and Adams counties in Illinois and Lee County, Iowa, also spoke. Others were present from Schuyler, Fulton, Jersey, McDonough, Moultrie, Pike and Sangamon counties.

Hartke concluded saying the premise ID will allow fast reaction to any disease outbreak.

“When this premise ID CD is plugged into the system, it will immediately show on GIS system where those herds are that have been exposed. That's the gist of the program,” he said. “I don't want it on my record that I did nothing to prevent a spread of disease.”