The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the first three of a series of public meetings where stakeholders can offer input on the framework for a new APHIS rule on animal disease traceability.

• May 11, 2010: Kansas City, MO — Holiday Inn Kansas City SE—Waterpark, 9103 East 39th Street
• May 13, 2010: Riverdale, MD — USDA Center at Riverside, 4700 River Road
• May 17, 2010: Denver, CO — Crowne Plaza, Denver International Airport, 15500 East 40th Avenue

The meetings are a follow-up to a State/Tribal forum on animal disease traceability that was held in Kansas City, MO on March 18 and 19, 2010.  To read the full proceedings of that forum, click here.

Additional meetings are being planned and will be announced in upcoming weeks.

APHIS is also accepting written comments on the meeting topics through May 31, 2010.  Comments can be submitted online here, or to the APHIS contact listed below (be sure to reference Docket No. APHIS-2010-0050 when submitting written statements).

For more information on the meetings, contact Neil Hammerschmidt, Program Manager, Animal Disease Traceability, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 46, Riverdale, MD (301) 734-5571.

Read the original notice in the Federal Register here.