10/28/05 Private - public partnership on animal ID

About two weeks ago in Kansas City, U.S.D.A. officials made it a point to hear comments about one aspect of its overall plan to create a National Animal Identification System based on a private / public partnership. JOHANNS: U.S.D.A conducted a public meeting to hear industry views and answer questions about systems specifications and user requirements for the privatized animal movement data base. We also discussed the need for a new entity to be formed, representing all affected industry sectors, which would develop and provide oversight for the data base. U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns says the proposed privatization of an animal tracking data base stemmed from on-going concerns expressed by the livestock industry that confidentiality of animal data could be compromised. The plan is still to move a National Animal I.D. System from a voluntary to a mandatory program. Johanns and other U.S.D.A. officials admit that operation of an N.A.I.S. would be based on case law, and not necessarily founded in statutory authority. But Johanns says a private  public partnership is the best way to balance the needs and concerns of both entities. JOHANNS: My attitude is that the U.S.D.A. has certain needs to access the data base. When we have a situation where we need to trace, we need a cooperative arraignment to enter the data base to be able to trace that animal back and identify where that animal has been. But there are questions about such an arraignment. For example, the American Farm Bureau Federation says privatization of the data base does not protect confidentiality with federal officials having access to information at any time short of legislation from Congress requiring such safeguards. But Johanns says another reason a private  public partnership is the best way to go is the incentives to build a better mousetrap especially when it comes to confidentiality safeguards. JOHANNS: I believe that over time as technology develops you're going to get price competition. You're going to get continued development in terms of what this system can do. I think we're just seeing a first and a second generation. There's bound to be a third, fourth, and fifth generation. My concern would be that if the government had control of this system, we would lose that price competition. We would lose incentive to innovate and take on to the next generation of identification.