Moving a heavyweight mature bull to market can be a challenge at the best of times. Attaching an identification tag in its ear could be dangerous.
The Alberta Beef Producers passed a resolution at its annual meeting Dec. 7 asking for leniency when tagging mature bulls because many producers do not have adequate facilities to handle large animals.
“In regards to tagging mature bulls, safety comes first.
“There are approved tagging sites if you do not have facilities or cannot handle the animal,” said Julie Stitt, executive director of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.
Read Also
Feeder market consolidates at historic highs
For the week ending Sept. 6, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier.
“Auction marts and certain other locations do have chutes that will handle them and can tag them.”
Producers should contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s local regional inspector if their bulls are going to a facility without proper handling equipment.
“Tell them it is a safety risk to tag this animal and you want their permission to go through the system without being approved,” she said.
Producers at the meeting also passed a resolution asking the CCIA to recognize all bar code dangle tags until they are retired when the animal dies.
The agency has agreed to recognize bar code tags till Dec. 31, 2007, but beyond that point cattle must wear radio frequency tags.
They are easier to read, Stitt said, and most countries adopting individual identification are going that route.
All animals have to be tagged and maintained to the point of inspection on the slaughter line but in the post BSE world, more countries are expecting the full animal movement tracking that electronic ID makes possible.
Some countries have pointed out that they can’t track between herd of origin and slaughter if cattle are not tagged until they go to slaughter.
Delegates suggested that tags in older cattle should be honoured as a form of age verification. Anything coming to market with the old tag would automatically be categorized as older than 30 months.
Steve Primrose of Lethbridge said the electronic tags are needed to protect the integrity of the Canadian industry.
“We need to get over this and move forward for the betterment of the industry,” he said.
Many producers do not want the added expense of retagging mature animals. Delegates passed a resolution suggesting all sectors share the cost of the tag, perhaps through the form of rebates.
For example, an auction could pay $2 back to the producer and the next owner could rebate $2 to the auction so each is contributing $1. Any remaining money could go into a pool to help research new tag technology.
