05/18/05 Animal identification symposium

There's been a huge momentum swing in animal identification. When 100 livestock producers and feedlot operators were asked yesterday if mandatory animal id is feasible by 2009 their answer was surprising. KAYSER "Might happen before that. Probably why, it will be a market driven scenario to get it to that point." That's Neil Kayser, a Washington cattleman and one of the attendees an animal id symposium yesterday in Boise. The majority of those attending felt the same way as Kayser. Tim Munns is a northern Utah cow-calf operator knows its going to be a tough road ahead. MUNNS "If we get 85 percent, that's the figure thrown out, compliance we'll be doing good. We'd like to see it higher than that but the reality is that we're not going to get 100 percent of the cattle traced and tagged all the time." Munns who is on the board of directors for the Northwest Pilot Project says the West has advantages over Eastern states. MUNNS "With our current brand laws and departments of ag and state veterinarians who are all on the same page nearly it's a collaboration of all of the organizations within the states and those states too to get a coalition together to make it work. We'll make it work." And what they've been doing in the pilot project for the past six months is trying different options, seeing what works and what won't. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott