Naig Encourages Livestock Farmers to Make Sure all Premises Information is Up to Date

During May letters will be sent farmers in Poweshiek through Wright Counties who had previously registered a premises

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that during May the final round of letters will be sent to farmers who have previously registered a livestock premises in an effort to update the Iowa Premises Registration database. All information in the database is confidential and only used to contact producers in case of an animal disease outbreak.
Farmers are asked to respond to the letter and either confirm the information is correct or respond with their updated information. Letters will be sent to producers in Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth and Wright counties this month.

“Being able to quickly identify any and all premises during an animal disease outbreak is a vitally important step as we work to stop the spread of the disease and then eliminate it,” Naig said. “We have had a very good response from farmers to this effort and we do want to encourage anyone that receives a letter this month or have received one previously and have not yet responded to take the time to contact our Department and make sure all their information is up to date.”

All Iowa livestock farmers are encouraged to make sure that all locations where they have livestock have a premises identification number (PIN) and to make sure their information is up-to-date.  All the information in the premises ID database is confidential and protected under federal law and can only be used for animal health purposes.

If farmers have questions they can contact the Department’s Animal ID Coordinator toll free at 888-778-7675. More information is also available on the USDA’s Animal Disease Traceability Home Site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/.

Iowa currently has more than 31,500 premises registered.

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About the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Led by Secretary Mike Naig, the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship serves the rural and urban residents that call Iowa home. Through its 14 diverse bureaus, the Department ensures animal health, food safety and consumer protection. It also promotes conservation efforts to preserve our land and enhance water quality for the next generation. Learn more at iowaagriculture.gov.

Media Contact:
Don McDowell
Communications Director
515-281-3375
Don.McDowell@IowaAgriculture.gov