The Kansas Department of Agriculture will host an Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) Forum on Thursday, June 22, 2017, at the K-State Alumni Center at 1720 Anderson Ave. in Manhattan. The forum will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m.

Similar to other public forums held around the country, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) will be on hand to provide information about the current ADT system and engage in a discussion on the successes and challenges of the current ADT framework, specifically for traceability in cattle and bison. Participants in the forum will also have the opportunity to provide solutions for improving the existing ADT system and ideas for the future of the program.

Animal disease traceability — knowing where diseased and at-risk animals are, where they've been, and when — is important to ensure a rapid response when animal disease events take place. An efficient and accurate animal disease traceability system helps reduce the number of animals involved in an investigation, reduces the time needed to respond, and decreases the cost to producers and the government. The federal Traceability for Livestock Moved Interstate rule went into effect in March 2013 and established minimum national official identification and documentation requirements for the traceability of livestock moving interstate.

The ADT forum in Kansas is open to the public. Individuals wishing to participate in the forum can register at the formsite link or at the KDA website, agriculture.ks.gov/ADT. Registration will be available on site. Individuals who have questions about the forum should contact Mary Soukup at Mary.Soukup@ks.gov or call 785-564-6700 for more information.

Persons who require special accommodations must make their needs known at least two days prior to the meeting.