NAHMS 379 Antimicrobial Use Confidentiality Pledge

Animal and Plant
Health Inspection
Service
Veterinary Services

Antimicrobial Use
Confidentiality Pledge

National Animal Health
Monitoring System
2150 Centre Ave, Bldg B
Fort Collins, CO 80526

Instructions for the Data Collector: Review this page with the producer, answering any questions. Make sure the producer understands that
participation is voluntary. Sign both copies, give one to the Producer, and send the other copy to your NAHMS Coordinator.

Background
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is collecting information on antimicrobial use through the
National Animal Monitoring System (NAHMS). This information will be used to describe current antimicrobial use
practices, help policymakers and industry make informed decisions, assist researchers and private enterprise in
identifying and focusing on vital issues related to antimicrobial use, and facilitate education of future producers and
veterinarians.
Participation is voluntary and you may decline to participate. Your participation is vital and will help develop national
estimates of antimicrobial use practices. We ask that you provide accurate information regarding your operation’s
antimicrobial use practices; however, you retain the right to refuse to answer any or all questions.
Confidentiality
The information you, or your establishment, provide to the data collector will be used for statistical purposes only. In
accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347 and other
applicable Federal laws, your responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form. Only
authorized APHIS employees or those acting on APHIS’s behalf (NAHMS agents), who are subject to fines and
imprisonment for unauthorized disclosure, will have access to your individual record data. By law to be an authorized
APHIS employee or NAHMS agent, individuals must take an oath which states that no confidential information will be
released, and that the individual is subject to a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if he or she
discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your establishment.
Your data’s security is vitally important to APHIS. Every person working for or in cooperation with APHIS on this study
has signed a confidentiality form which stipulates the requirements for keeping data confidential and the penalties
individuals are subject to if identifiable information is released. Further, data are protected from cybersecurity threats.
Under the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data will be protected by US Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) cybersecurity monitoring. In the event of a cybersecurity incident, and pursuant to any required legal
processes, information from these sources may be used to help identify and mitigate the incident
APHIS may publish, or authorize others to publish, the aggregate (summary) findings acquired from NAHMS for the
benefit of the swine and beef industries, allied private industries, and other interested groups, but will ensure that the
identity of the producer is withheld. APHIS may not publish, or authorize others to publish, individual responses.
Please note that information on a producer’s animals revealed from sources unrelated to this antimicrobial use study,
such as testing and inspection for movement or sale of animals or tracebacks on testing done at slaughter, may cause
unrelated regulatory action.
You can obtain these reports and further information from this study by accessing the NAHMS Web site at:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/monitoring-andsurveillance/nahms/ct_national_animal_health_monitoring_system_nahms_home

NAHMS ID:
DATA COLLECTOR

DATE

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is
0579-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 0.8 hours per response, including the time
for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information.
NAHMS-379
MAR 2017

OMB Approved
0579-XXXX
Exp.: XX/XXXX