By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
In the wake of the nation’s scare
over its first case of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy, also known as “mad cow disease,” state
and federal officials are stepping up measures to track foreign
animal diseases.
In Georgia, the Reportable Animal Disease System is being
incorporated into the Georgia Agricultural Information Sharing
and Analysis Center network. RADS will allow state officials to
monitor animal disease across the state.
Based on public health system
“This system is based on the Georgia Division of Public Health’s
human disease system, which tracks diseases like AIDS and
tuberculosis,” said Nelwyn Stone, assistant state veterinarian.
“Farmers and veterinarians will use RADS to report animal
diseases.”
Stone said a farmer, county extension agent or veterinarian can
access the system through the Web and quickly report an animal
disease case.
“Farmers usually call their vet first. Then the vet calls us,”
Stone said. “If it’s a foreign animal disease, like bluetongue or
foot-and-mouth disease, we inform the (U.S. Department of
Agriculture) and a veterinary medical officer reports to the
farm.”
The new, computer-driven system should make this quicker, Stone
said.
Keeping diseases contained
“When an animal disease is reported, we want to get our state
veterinary officials out to the farm quickly,” she said. “If it’s
only on one farm, we want to keep it on one farm.”
In July, Stone will meet with counterparts in other states to
discuss each state’s system.
“The overall goal is to make it easier for farmers, farm workers,
lab workers and veterinarians to report suspect diseases,” Stone
said. “It will keep animals in our state safe and ensure diseases
like avian flu don’t spread if they do occur.”
RADS was created by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. It’s
funded by the Georgia Division of Public Health. The Georgia
Emergency Management Agency will integrate the technology into
their monitoring systems.
Stone said she hopes the system will go on-line this spring.
Computer problems, though, could push it back to the fall.
Federal program will track origin
The federal government is working on the U.S. Animal
Identification Plan, a system that will track animals back to
their origin.
“It … can identify all animals and premises potentially exposed
to an animal with a foreign animal disease within 48 hours of
discovery,” said Charles McPeake, an animal scientist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.
“Maintaining the health and economic viability of U.S. animal
agriculture is critical to the industry and the safety of our
food supply,” he said.
The federal system will enable foreign animal disease outbreaks
to be quickly contained, McPeake said. It will help meet
shoppers’ demands, too, for foods that can be traced to their
source.
Using the federal system, officials will be able to trace an
animal back to its farm and everywhere in-between. It’s still
being developed. But when it’s in place, it will require that
animals get an identification number at birth.
Tracking domestic animals
The system will track cattle, bison, hogs, sheep,
goats, horses, poultry, game birds, farmed fish and domestic
deer, elk, llamas, alpacas, ostriches and emus, McPeake said.
It isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to last year’s mad cow case, he
said.
“The industry and government have been working on this system for
a couple of years,” he said. “Now it will be phased in over three
years.”
The USAIP Web site reports
that the system’s
first phase, premises ID by state, should be complete this year.
