Last week, Kansas Cattlemen's Association, along with national ag and consumer groups, joined forces and urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to return USDA's final rule on the Animal Disease Traceability Program (ADT) so that a complete and thorough analysis can be conducted.

USDA provided OMB with the final rule asserting that the ADT program has no economic significance, and only minor costs would be incurred. Kansas Cattlemen's Association contends that USDA gravely underestimated the full cost of ADT and a number of factors were not considered. Even when USDA was looking for comments from industry stakeholders, KCA continuously stressed that USDA was overlooking a number of costs associated with this program. Not only are there direct costs of the tags and equipment but indirect costs as well. These costs consist of the extra implementation time, the stress on the livestock, and even the slow of commerce. All of these will impact the profitability and success of the cattle industry.

"KCA has long opposed any mandatory ID program including the former National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The new program, ADT, is still ineffective, still costly, and still another regulation on producers. The government wants to be able to trace back animals to their origin in case of a disease outbreak; however, the cattle industry already has voluntary protocols in place where trace back is possible. Moreover, the government has eliminated various disease preventative programs and has supported more lenient import standards that could affect the health of the U.S. cattle herd. KCA supports disease prevention, but it is important for the OMB to send this rule back to USDA to re-evaluate the costs and inefficiencies within this program," remarked KCA Executive Director Brandy Carter.

Producers have overwhelmingly stressed their concern and disapproval for government mandated programs that hurt the livelihood and success of producers. KCA will continue to advocate on behalf of producers to ensure that advantageous programs are implemented and not those that are a detriment to producers' operations and the cattle industry.