VS 21-300 Health Management on U.S. Feedlots 2020 Confidentiality

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 0579-0079. The time required to complete this
information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time to review
instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the
information collected.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE
VETERINARY SERVICES
NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM
2150 CENTRE AVE, BLDG B
FORT COLLINS, CO 80526

OMB Approved
0579-0079
EXP: XX/20XX

HEALTH MANAGEMENT ON
U.S. FEEDLOTS 2020
CONFIDENTIALITY PLEDGE

Instructions:
Review this page with the producer, answering any questions. Make sure the producer understands that participation is voluntary. Sign
below, give the top copy to the Producer, keep one copy, and send the final copy to your NAHMS Coordinator.
Background
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is collecting information on cattle health and management on feedlots through the
National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS). This information will be used to describe current cattle health and management practices,
help policymakers and stakeholders make informed decisions, assist researchers and private enterprises in identifying and focusing on vital
issues related to cattle health on feedlots, and direct educational programs for producers and veterinarians.
Participation is voluntary and you may decline to participate. Your participation is vital and will help develop national estimates of cattle health and
management practices. We ask that you provide accurate information regarding your operation; however, you retain the right to refuse to answer
any or all questions.
Confidentiality
The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. Your responses will be kept confidential, and any person who willfully
discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both. This survey is conducted in accordance
with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347 and other applicable Federal laws. For more
information on how we protect your information please
visit: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/general/downloads/NAHMS_CIPSEA.pdf. Response to this survey is voluntary.
Only authorized APHIS employees or those acting on APHIS’s behalf (NAHMS agents) 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 operation.
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 feedlot industry,
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.
Data collected by the Data Collector will not be used for regulatory purposes. Please note that information on a producer’s
animals revealed from sources unrelated to this study, such as testing and inspection for movement or sale of animals or tracebacks on testing
done at slaughter, may cause unrelated regulatory action. In addition, if a federally accredited or federal veterinarian conducting this interview on
the Producer’s premises observes an animal with signs suspicious of a dangerously contagious, infectious, or exotic disease foreign to the United
States (e.g., foot-and-mouth disease), they are obligated to report this disease to appropriate authorities, in which case further investigation and
possible action may occur.
The Producer will be invited to complete a brief evaluation of the Health Management on U.S. Feedlots 2020 study when the
study is complete, the results of which will be used to assist APHIS in the design and implementation of future NAHMS surveys.
You can obtain these reports and further information from this study by accessing the NAHMS Web site at:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/nahms
By signing below, the NAHMS Agent is pledging APHIS to protect the confidentiality of the participants information

NAHMS Agent
VS Form 21-300
September 2020

Date