trail@horse-talk.com

Dear Horse Enthusiast

As you might be aware, over the past year, several animal health issues have affected horse owners in various parts of the country. Diseases such as West Nile Virus, Vesicular Stomatitis, and Equine Herpes have affected horse owners and impacted regulations concerning movement of horses. As part of the development of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), the equine industry has been working on a plan to safeguard the health of our equine. In order to quickly address animal disease issues that may affect horse owners, a premises registration system that identifies the locations where equine and livestock are located was developed. Premises registration is the first step toward the NAIS.

Here in Wisconsin, you may or may not have heard about the Premises Registration Act, which is intended to be the first step of the NAIS being implemented in this state. The Wisconsin Premises Registration Act requires anyone who keeps, houses, or co-mingles livestock (including one horse) to register their premises no later then November 1, 2005.

Premises registration consists of the address where the animals are housed, contact information of a person knowledgeable of the animals, and the species that are housed on that area of land. Premises registration doesn’t included ownership, pedigree, or numbers of animals. We are identifying locations where horses and livestock are kept at this point; this does not involve individual animal identification. The Equine Industry is still working on recommendations for animal ID and the tracking of movements.

It is to your advantage to register your premises, because maintaining our animal health status in Wisconsin means equine commerce and movement will be easier to reestablish in the event of a disease outbreak should occur. When participating in high risk activities like shows, trail rides and events, we need to protect our horses as best as possible. Premises registration is the first step you can take to protect your horse(s) against a disease outbreak in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) is a multi-species effort led by Wisconsin’s livestock and industry organizations in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The Wisconsin State Horse Council is a member of WLIC.

There are three simple ways to register a premises. One can register a livestock premises at www.wiid.org by clicking on the link for WLIC Premises Registration. If you do not have computer access, call WLIC at 1-888-808-1910 to request a form. You may also register your premises through a WLIC Agent who may register on your behalf with your permission. For a list of WLIC Agents go to www.wiid.org.

Attached are a Frequently Asked Questions Sheet and a premises registration form. We hope that we have addressed your concerns and questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions. Please remember that each premises registration brings us closer to the day when we will be prepared to respond within 48 hours in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

For more information about Wisconsin’s efforts go to www.wiid.org or for more information about the national effort go to http://www.horsecouncil.org/equineid.htm or National Animal Identification System site at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml

Robert Fourdraine, our Chief Operating Officer of WLIC, will be speaking each day during the Midwest Horse Fair, from 12:30 -1:30. Please look in the schedule of events for the location. We encourage you to come with your comments and questions.

Please don’t be concerned about WLIC using your email address; this will be the only email you receive from us, unless you contact us for more information. This email was sent as a blind copy so the email list can not be used again by others.

WLIC is working hard to get the word out about premises registration. Please feel free to forward this email (along with its attachments) to individuals you think are appropriate. If you have suggestions or ideas of how we can get the word out please let us know. We can provide you with newsletter articles, forms, literature and resources.

Our greatest asset is the cooperation of many!

Leanne

Register your Premises today at www.wiid.org

Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium

Leanne Ketterhagen

Manager of Communications & Marketing

135 Enterprise Drive, Suite ID

Verona, WI 53593

Office: 608-848-5237

Cell: 608-347-2350

Fax: 608-845-1999

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