The Pennsylvania Premise
Identification Information Web site

What Happens After Producers Register Their Premises?

Following premises registration, producers may participate in animal identification and tracking programs as provided in their area. As the NAIS progresses, the AIN will be implemented. USDA will issue AIN s to animal identification managers, who will be responsible for producing AIN devices. The AIN managers will also manage the AIN distribution network. Once this system is in place, producers will be able to contact an AIN distributor in their area to obtains official AINs. The identification will be attached to this animals in a way that is appropriate for the species. For example, cattle producers may use ear tags on their animals, while LaMancha goat producers may require a different type of identification method because their animals have very small ears.

Potential AIN distributors include breed associations, Federal area offices, State departments of agriculture, and identification companies, among others. Producers should check with their Federal, State, or Tribal animal health authority to determine whom they should be contacting about AINs.

The AIN will allow a single animal to be identified with a lifetime number that can be printed on a tag, affixed, or assigned to the animal. Certain methods, as determined by industry, may include electronic chips encased in a tag. The AIN may also be associated with the animal's biometrics (DNA, retinal image, etc.). The format for the AIN is 15 numeric characters, the first three reflecting the internationally recognized country code for the United States (840).

Example: 8401234556789012

An AIN distributor will submit to a national information repository a record of the numbers provided to each premises. By obtaining numbers from an AIN distributor, the producer will, in effect, automatically provide a record of the animal's origin (or the location of where it was initially identified in the early stages of the NAIS).

Group / Lot Identification Numbers

Group / Lot Identification Numbers may be an option for species in which animals move as a group through the production chain (e.g. swine and poultry). Group/Low identification numbers contain the national premises identification number of the location where the group was established and a six digit number reflecting the date that group was created. This format will result in a unique number.

Example: A234567100301. In this example, "A234567" is the premises identification number and "100302" represents the date the record was created, October 3, 2002.

Please note: Other identification numbering systems defined in the Code of Federal Regulations will remain official through an NAIS transition period. Producers should check with a State, Federal, or Tribal animal health authority for more information about obtaining AIN s and Group/Lot identification numbers for various species.