Advance local and national ID traceability of livestock to insure accurate and timely identification and location of livestock in a disease trace or outbreak

The Livestock & Poultry Commission Arkansas received a $234,967 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), effective April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026. The agreement supports the advancement of local and national livestock identification traceability to enable rapid and accurate identification and location of animals during disease outbreaks or epidemiological traces.

Under this agreement, the Commission will distribute official livestock identification materials, including electronic identification (EID) tags and electronic readers, and will conduct testing of EID information retrieval capabilities. Key deliverables include collaborating with livestock markets to expand their capabilities in applying, reading, and recording individually identified livestock—primarily cattle—and monitoring both markets and private veterinary practitioners to ensure data capture, recording, and accessibility. The ultimate beneficiary is the nationwide ability to query and identify animals of concern and trace their movements and current location within a short timeframe, thereby expanding traceability at all levels of the livestock supply chain. No subrecipients are involved in this award.

Activities are to distribute official identification including but not limited to electronic ID and test the capabilities of ID information retrieval. Deliverables include working with livestock markets to expand the capabilities in applying, reading, recording and tracing individually identified livestock, primarily cattle. To distribute EID tags, electronic readers and to monitor both markets and private veterinary practitioners to ensure that data is captured, recorded and easily accessible. To expand traceability at all levels. Beneficiary is nationwide ability to query and identify animals of concern and trace their movements and current location in a very short period of time. No subrecipients.