New Livestock requirement for those exhibiting animals in the State of Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Oct. 31 -- The Illinois State Fair issued the following
news release:
A premises identification number will be required to exhibit livestock at
state, county, 4-H and FFA fairs beginning in 2008, the Illinois
Department of Agriculture announced today.
Premises registration is the first step toward the establishment of a
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and will greatly improve the
ability of Illinois animal health professionals to contain disease
outbreaks.
"Knowing the location of each and every livestock operation in the state
would enable us to quickly trace the movement of infected animals, impose
quarantines and, perhaps, prevent the disease from spreading to
neighboring farms if an outbreak were to occur," Agriculture Director
Chuck Hartke said. "The information is absolutely critical to our
disease-fighting capabilities, especially at events like fairs where large
numbers of animals are confined for short periods of time and then moved.
This is one, reasonable step we can take to protect not only the health of
livestock, but also the livelihood of the entire livestock industry."
Nearly 9,000 Illinois livestock operations already have enrolled in the
NAIS, 30 percent of the state's premises.
"That figure exceeds the USDA's 2007 target of 25 percent, but full
participation will be needed if the system is to achieve its goal of
identifying all animals and premises that have been exposed to a disease
within 48 hours of its discovery," Dr. Colleen O'Keefe, division manager
of Food Safety and Animal Protection, said.
Registration is free and easy. The entire process, which consists of a
short questionnaire that asks for a facility's name, address, phone number
and the types of livestock it raises, takes about ten minutes to complete.
The application form is posted on the Illinois Department of Agriculture's
website at: www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid .
Producers who register online will receive a premises ID number
immediately. The application also can be completed and returned by mail,
but may take four weeks to process. To obtain a copy of the form,
producers should call 1-866-299-9256.
Because the identification number corresponds to the location where an
animal is raised, it does not necessarily have to be issued in the
exhibitor's name. The number must be obtained and included on entry forms,
however, before fairs will allow an animal to compete.
The premises ID requirement also applies to horses. Owners of horses
stabled in Illinois and planning to race or exhibit at either a state or
county fair can register online just like Illinois livestock producers
can. Owners of out-of-state horses must obtain a premises ID number
through their state's agriculture department, whose contact information
can be found online at:
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/premises_id/register.shtml .
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