MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – The state has put on hold new rules that would require livestock farms to register with the state in hopes of stemming the spread of contagious disease.

Agriculture Secretary Steve Kerr said Tuesday that the state had concerns about keeping the farm information private. The information is shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture database.

“USDA had promised us complete confidentiality at every step of this process,” he said. “Now we have reason to believe that may not be the case. Without 100 percent confidentiality, we will not be sending any information on Vermont farms to the USDA database.”

Kerr said the state wants to ensure the information can only be accessed by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.

USDA officials did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

The state Agency of Agriculture has been holding hearings on the plan, which is aimed at complying with federal efforts to prevent the spread of diseases such as bird flu in livestock. Kerr has said the state does not need to go as far as identifying each animal, as the USDA has proposed.

The so-called Premise Registration program would use the information about the type of animals and location of the operation in the event of a disease outbreak, to contain it before it could spread.

The program would apply to thousands of operations, from large livestock farms to small backyard chicken flocks.

Many small farmers say it would be impractical and an intrusion on their privacy.

Amber Chambers, a dairy farmer in Lowell, hailed the suspension of the new rules.

“I’m going to continue to fight it all the way through,” she said. “I don’t think how many animals I have on my land is the government’s business.”

She and her husband use a biosecurity system at their family farm to prevent the introduction of disease. She said she’d rather have the government spend time educating the public about what to look for.

The remaining scheduled hearings will continue while it is determined where the database of information will be kept, the state said.

“Until we can be satisfied that the USDA can guarantee the confidentiality of the information, we’re just going to take a step back,” Kerr said. “The net effect of it is we’re going to rethink how we approach this whole issue of preparedness and response.”

Earlier Tuesday, a handful of Montpelier-area farmers staged a protest on the lawn of the state Capitol, encouraging the state to give more support to all farms, not just dairy farms. The farmers, who set up tables to sell their products, said Vermonters and state government should buy and promote locally-grown foods more.

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On the Web:

Vermont Agency of Agriculture: www.vermontagriculture.com