United States-Livestock auctioneers on traceability.

UNITED STATE-LIVESTOCK AUCTIONEERS ON TRACEABILITY.

America ’s livestock market operators are skeptical that the current National Animal Identification System plan will maintain the "speed of commerce" in livestock marketing – an absolute necessity in maintaining a viable marketing system that serves tens of thousands of producers every day. Because of those and other concerns, the policy of Livestock Marketing Association is that NAIS should remain a voluntary program.

According to LMA’s Vice President for Government and Industry Affairs, Nancy Robinson, "speed of commerce" means processing and marketing cattle on sale day within just a few hours, minimizing weight shrinkage, protecting the safety and welfare of market employees and the livestock they handle, and moving animals on to their next destination "with a minimum of delay."

Robinson identified other LMA member concerns with the NAIS plan. These include the use of low-frequency RFID tag and tag reader technology. Standardization of ID technology that’s compatible from one livestock operation to another. And the role livestock markets will play in NAIS implementation.