The head of the U.S.D.A. made an appearance at the World Pork Expo going on at the state fairgrounds in Des Moines this week. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns Thursday praised US pork producers for embracing animal identification, and voiced support for a species-specific I.D. program.
He says the way animal identification’s done for poultry may be vastly different from how it’s done for beef or pork, and says the expo has a good example of how “the industry really has embraced animal identification.” Johanns visited “I-D Alley,” a U.S.D.A.-funded area at World Pork Expo where producers can register their premise and learn about animal I.D.
Doctor John Clifford, Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services at U.S.D.A., told reporters that animal identification is an animal health issue and trade is just a side benefit of the program.