Alberta is beefing up its animal health and food traceability legislation with new regulations effective March 1 next year.
The Traceability Cattle Identification Regulation cancels the Traceability Livestock Identification Regulation.
There are two parts to the new regulations: tagging requirements for cattle identification and cattle move-in reporting for feedlots.
All producers now have until cattle are 10 months of age, rather than eight, to apply industry-approved Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and register the cattle’s birth date. Producers using actual birth dates also have the option of using a cattle identifier (tattoo or production dangle tag) by three months of age and applying an RFID tag at 10 months of age or when the animal leaves the farm, whichever comes first.
Previously, RFID tags were required at three months old.
Feedlots feeding 1,000 or more head a year are now required to report move-in information to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA). Previously, only feedlots feeding 5,000 or more head were required to do so. This regulation applies only to feedlots, not cow-calf operations.
Livestock traceability regulations have been in effect since Jan. 1. Cattle born after that date are required to be age-verified under the Animal Health Act. Traceability enables government to move quickly to recover from natural disasters and outbreaks of disease, while minimizing economic impacts.
“These adjustments not only enhance Alberta’s system, but also provide some flexibility to producers in meeting requirements,” said Alberta minister of agriculture George Groeneveld in a news release.
