Mission accomplished - NAIS in the USA

Bill Hawks, who held the post of USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for four years, resigned June 6 but offered to continue in the job until a successor is confirmed.

 

In his resignation letter to President Bush, Hawks said he felt "now is an appropriate time for me to move on to new opportunities and allow others an opportunity for public service." Among his accomplishments he listed progress in developing and implementing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). "This system was developed through a state-federal-industry partnership and will replace a multitude of non-related systems currently in use," he said.

 

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns noted in a statement that Hawks had "worked on some of USDA's most challenging issues to protect and promote U.S. agriculture in the areas of animal and plant disease at home and abroad, while also helping the Bush administration's efforts to break down sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to U.S. exports."

For more read "Food and Livestock Traceability" www.trackingfood.com.