News Summary: USDA starts tracking farm animals

LIVESTOCK ID: The federal government has launched a new livestock identification program to help agriculture officials to track livestock quickly in cases of disease.

TRACK MOVEMENT: The main goal is to track animals' movements so agriculture and health officials can quickly establish quarantines and take other steps to prevent the spread of disease.

2ND ATTEMPT: It is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's second attempt at implementing such a system, which officials say is critical to maintaining the security of the nation's food supply. An earlier, voluntary program failed because of widespread opposition among farmers and ranchers who described it as a costly hassle that didn't help control disease.