Canadian cattle may be wearing electronic identification ear tags by 2005.
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is phasing out plastic dangle ear tags and replacing them with smaller radio frequency identification tags that are placed inside the animal’s ear.
CCIA manager Julie Stitt said a number of packers and auctions are already equipped to read the tags.
“There are some smaller plants that we still have to work with.”
Of the 29 types of ear tags now available to producers, two are electronic.
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The electronic tags will carry the animal’s identification number and the CCIA logo on the outside and an electronic reader should be able to pick up the electronic information from about 40 centimetres away.
Electronic identification is expected to be a more efficient way of recording animals and their movements.
All animals leaving their herd of origin must have a tag, although the agency board is debating how early animals should be tagged.
“We’re reviewing a number of options,” Stitt said.
If animals are tagged earlier, it could help determine their age. Date of birth can be included in the database, but often producers are not sure of every animal’s birthday, so provisions may have to be made to list the month or year of birth. Trading partners are demanding proof of age for animals to guarantee they are younger than 30 months.
CCIA expects to call for tenders within months to supply tags for the system.
A number of tag field trials have been under way, including an experiment with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as it investigates bovine tuberculosis around the Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.
The agency has considered electronic tagging since 1999, but the price per tag was too high to be feasible.
Manufacturer quotes for large volumes of the tags ranged from $2 to $4, but lower prices are expected over time as their use becomes widespread.
People may still use the plastic tags for management purposes, but the agency has told tag manufacturers not to make any more bar code tags without prior approval.
Plastic bar coded tags already in use will be “grandfathered” for the life of the animal so no one will be required to replace tags.
Since the announcement of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada in May, the livestock marketing association agreed to enforce the ear tagging rule rather than allowing about five percent to slip through without identification. Since the end of May, no animals may be sold at auction without a tag. The auction yards can tag the animals for a fee plus the cost of the tag.
The American cattle industry is still debating individual identification but at the recent United States Animal Health Association meeting, it was agreed to push the program ahead.
