Three key reasons to register your premises

The U.S. dairy industry has had a preview of the challenges and impacts associated with animal disease outbreaks through the recent cases of BSE. It has also recently seen success abroad where thorough animal identification helped contain the spread of foot and mouth disease in Great Britain. It is time for U.S. dairy producers to join together and lead the charge by taking the first step of registering their premises.

To register, complete the Premises Registration Form for each location where you house or graze livestock and mail or fax it to:

Dairy Calf and Heifer Association
16020 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO 63017

- or -

Fax: (636) 449-5051

Animal Health
Registering premises is the first piece of the infrastructure needed for a timely response in the event of an animal disease outbreak. Registering your premises protects your herd as well as your neighbors.

Consumer Confidence
The food industry is rapidly changing to meet consumer demands. Dairy farmers have the opportunity to be ahead of this curve by being proactive and letting consumers know where their food comes from. Registering each dairy premises and identifying each animal that is part of the operation can help promote dairy markets and maintain high consumer confidence.

Domestic & International Markets
Premises registration will help protect and preserve domestic and international markets by quickly defining regions that are, and are not, affected by an animal disease outbreak. This effort will help ensure dairy farmers can freely export and import products and animals around the world.

What is premises registration?
A unique number is assigned and recorded for each location where livestock are raised, held or boarded. Each premises registration is protected by the USDA as private and confidential business information, while allowing government authorities immediate access in the event of an animal disease crisis.

How do I register?
Registration is quick and simple. Fill out the registration form and send to DCHA. Please spread the word about the importance of premises registration.

How does registering benefit my herd?
Careful breeding, precise feeding, attentive handling, effective vaccination -- all of these measures help safeguard animal health and ultimately contribute to safe and wholesome dairy products.

Premises registration is another valuable tool to include in an overall animal health management program. It provides the power to better protect animals and markets the case of an animal disease event.

A disease outbreak is impossible to predict, but premises information will help define which regions of our country are, and are not, affected by the outbreak. Markets can be kept open for unaffected producers, prevent unnecessary movement restrictions and ensure that emergency situations will be handled quickly and efficiently.

In addition, each producer belongs to a larger community. Choosing to participate in premises registration demonstrates total commitment to doing everything you can to protect animals, neighbors and the infrastructure of the U.S. dairy industry.

Register your premises
To register, complete the Premises Registration Form for each location where you house or graze livestock and mail or fax it to:

Dairy Calf and Heifer Association
16020 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO 63017

- or -

Fax: (636) 449-5051

[ Premises Registration Form | iDairy Brochure | iDairy.org ]

About iDairy
IDairy was formed in October 2005 as a coalition of six dairy industry organizations. Its goal is to provide information on how to register agricultural premises with the appropriate state authorities, and how to obtain tags for individual animals.