The regulations for Canada’s national identification program for cattle are about to be snugged up.
Under existing rules, there are instances where cattle can leave the herd of origin without bearing a national ID tag. Those tagging exemptions leave gaps in the system that could pose challenges if animals need to be traced back to the farm.
Amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations have been proposed to address this situation and changes are expected to be in place by early 2004, said Richard Robinson, chief of livestock identification and legislation for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
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Now, cattle can leave the herd of origin without a national ID tag if they are going to a community pasture, test station, vet clinic or agricultural fair. Changes will require that those animals be tagged before they leave the farm.
The exemption for deadstock will also be eliminated. Existing regulations are silent on whether dead animals leaving the farm must bear a national ID tag. The amended rules will require tags in all animals leaving the farm, whether they leave feet up or feet down, Robinson said.
And when producers dispose of a dead animal on the farm, they will be required to report its tag number so the death can be recorded in the national database.
Auction barns will also be affected. The amended regulations would require them to replace lost ID tags if animals arrived at their barns without them.
“We’ll be treating auction barns the same as any other destination,” said Robinson.
“If you receive an animal without a tag, you will be responsible for replacing it.”
Changes are also in store for outlets that sell national ID tags. The proposed amendments would require distributors to report tag sales to the national database within 24 hours. That’s to prevent lags in reporting that could become an issue if an animal had to be traced after leaving the herd of origin, but the database was still showing its ear tag was sitting on a distributor’s shelf.
“It’s to ensure cattle are always tagged,” said Robinson.
The exemption for cattle being hauled to tagging sites will remain. A growing number of auction barns are among the places offering that service.
One of the main principles of the national ID program will remain intact if the proposed amendments go through. Robinson said it has the goal of keeping the program as simple as possible for producers.
“It’s a big program and in order to make it as easy as possible for producers, the basic principle was buy and apply. Producers were told all you have to do is buy the tags and apply them before the cattle leave the farm.”
Compliance has generally been high among producers, he said. More than 95 percent of cattle arriving at auction barns bear national ID tags. More than 90 percent of those arriving at abattoirs have the tags.
Producers who do not comply can be fined $500. The fine can be reduced to $250 if it is paid within 15 days.
