date:Dec 24, 2012
A new mandatory livestock monitoring system aimed at helping government officials pinpoint sick animals in the event of a disease outbreak, will begin in February, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new program, which replaces a voluntary system that failed to garner participation from much of the livestock industry, allows states flexibility in how the animals are tagged and how records are kept, only tracks the animals when they are shipped over state lines.
USDA Secretary