PORTLAND – A voluntary program to register livestock locations offers a first step toward protection against animal disease outbreaks, state agriculture officials say.

“On one level it provides consumers assurances that we’re going to have the resources in place to trace back or do any of that stuff that’s required if something comes down the pike,” said Ned Porter, Maine’s acting agriculture commissioner. “Producers are stepping forward to do the right thing to secure their markets.”

The IDME program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it has its critics.

“There’s great skepticism that having all that information in government’s hand is truly beneficial,” said Russ Libby, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

The USDA has been working on a national animal identification program for about a decade, said Judy Perry, animal ID coordinator at the Maine Agriculture Department.

Perry said the USDA has outlined a three-part plan.

Location registration, the first step, is voluntary in Maine and most other states but is set to become mandatory in 2008.

A second step would involve tagging animals and a third step would set up a multi-industry tracking system that would electronically register animals.

“Right now it’s a voluntary program for premises ID. It looks to me like our federal colleagues are continuing to refine the [program] as they learn more from the field experience of the various states,” said Porter. “I can’t say what the final product will look like, but they are aware of the concerns folks have, with cost especially.”

Maine received an $80,000 USDA grant in 2004 to begin the voluntary facility registration program, which was followed by a $90,000 grant in 2005. Perry has requested a similar amount for 2006 that would start a pilot chipping or tagging program.

Perry said about 400 facilities in Maine have been registered, more than in any other New England state.

The state is encouraging registration of farms, veterinary clinics, fairgrounds, livestock markets, stables, slaughterhouses, and even backyard chicken coops and rabbit hutches.

“We are also looking for the hobby people; the non-producers are at risk, as well,” said Perry.

Information gathered for a database includes the name of premises and contacts, the type of entity and what sorts of species are raised there.

“If, God forbid, avian influenza ever hit Maine, we could go to the list,” said Perry. “It’s a mechanism to assist animal health officials to respond quickly and effectively to a disease outbreak, so we can contain a disease.”

Many of the larger livestock operations in Maine already have some sort of animal identification system in place.

“We think that this is a great program, we want to be in on the ground floor and support producer registration of their premises,” said Kevin Woltemath, director of procurement at Pineland Farms Natural Meats, which has operations in New Gloucester and Freeport.

“We’re already tagging cattle voluntarily, so we can get working with technology and work out the needs to identify these cattle and get permanent identification on them,” Wolyemath said.

Libby questioned the scope of the program and said imposing the same regulations on big producers and hobby farmers doesn’t make sense.

“It’s making criminals out of a lot of people who don’t realize their three chickens will make them an animal facility,” said Libby.