PA Farm News
July 23, 2007
Penn State Equine Survey to Gather Information on Micro-chipping
UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Equine Identification Project, taking place in 2007-2008, is designed to collect information about the impact of micro-chipping horses as a form of identification and tracking for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
One part of the project is the completion of an online survey to gather opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of the system. Participants must be 18 or older, so parents or guardians of youth in the 4-H horse program, pony clubs or youth breed associations, any horse owners and those with a stake in horse ownership are all encouraged to complete the survey. The online survey can be accessed at http://www.das.psu.edu/4h/horse/identification/ and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and all information is confidential.
The NAIS is a database of livestock animals - including horses - throughout the United States. Its purpose is to help producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal health events, and assist with stolen or lost animals. Participation is voluntary; those who chose to participate would be quickly notified if a disease outbreak or other animal health event may put their animals at risk.
A second prong of the Project involves 4-H’ers, their families and leaders in several Pennsylvania counties who are invited to microchip their horses for tracking/tracing purposes. The tracking/tracing data the 4-H member reports will help assess the ease or difficulty for this part of the National Animal Identification System. Participants must agree to report the movement of their horse each time it travels to an event over 50 miles away, or if the event has more than 10 horses not usually housed together.
Those who participate have an identification chip implanted in their horse’s neck by a trained veterinarian at no cost to the 4-H’er. According to Dr Ann Swinker, PSU researcher, “The micro chip is about the size of a grain of rice.” They must also have a premise number assigned by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
A third part of the Project includes a demonstration of microchipping during Ag Progress Days, on Wednesday, Aug. 15 from 12-1:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Aug. 16, from 1-1:30 p.m.
Funds for the project have been made available through the USDA, APHIS NAIS’s equine working species group. For questions regarding this study, contact Dr. Ann Swinker in writing at: 324 Henning Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802; or by telephone at: (814) 863-7810. For more details about participation in the micro-chipping project and the counties involved, contact Helene McKernan, project coordinator, Clinton County Extension Office, (570) 726-0022.
UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Equine Identification Project, taking place in 2007-2008, is designed to collect information about the impact of micro-chipping horses as a form of identification and tracking for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
One part of the project is the completion of an online survey to gather opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of the system. Participants must be 18 or older, so parents or guardians of youth in the 4-H horse program, pony clubs or youth breed associations, any horse owners and those with a stake in horse ownership are all encouraged to complete the survey. The online survey can be accessed at http://www.das.psu.edu/4h/horse/identification/ and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and all information is confidential.
The NAIS is a database of livestock animals - including horses - throughout the United States. Its purpose is to help producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to animal health events, and assist with stolen or lost animals. Participation is voluntary; those who chose to participate would be quickly notified if a disease outbreak or other animal health event may put their animals at risk.
A second prong of the Project involves 4-H’ers, their families and leaders in several Pennsylvania counties who are invited to microchip their horses for tracking/tracing purposes. The tracking/tracing data the 4-H member reports will help assess the ease or difficulty for this part of the National Animal Identification System. Participants must agree to report the movement of their horse each time it travels to an event over 50 miles away, or if the event has more than 10 horses not usually housed together.
Those who participate have an identification chip implanted in their horse’s neck by a trained veterinarian at no cost to the 4-H’er. According to Dr Ann Swinker, PSU researcher, “The micro chip is about the size of a grain of rice.” They must also have a premise number assigned by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
A third part of the Project includes a demonstration of microchipping during Ag Progress Days, on Wednesday, Aug. 15 from 12-1:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Aug. 16, from 1-1:30 p.m.
Funds for the project have been made available through the USDA, APHIS NAIS’s equine working species group. For questions regarding this study, contact Dr. Ann Swinker in writing at: 324 Henning Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802; or by telephone at: (814) 863-7810. For more details about participation in the micro-chipping project and the counties involved, contact Helene McKernan, project coordinator, Clinton County Extension Office, (570) 726-0022.
POSTED 070723_1100 ET
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