Checking teeth is an accepted way of determining the age of cattle.
Since September 2003, designated boneless beef products from Canadian cattle less than 30 months of age have been permitted for export into the United States. While the Americans did not demand dentition as proof of age, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said checking the number of permanent teeth is the most effective method for now.
“Dentition is as close as we have of physically looking at an animal’s age,” said Don Hepburn of the CFIA.
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Packing plants interested in exports have been checking teeth since last July to ensure youthful beef is separated from that of animals older than 30 months.
After slaughter, a packing house employee checks the teeth for the emergence of the third incisor on the lower jaw at the front of the mouth.
CFIA veterinarians verify all animals deemed less than 30 months of age.
Cattle with the third tooth are separated at the packing plant and are treated as older animals. Specified risk materials including spines, eyeballs, nerve tissue and brains are removed and these carcasses are ineligible for export.
“Feedlots are already checking teeth to avoid heavy penalties for older animals,” said Gene Rawe, animal health coordinator with the Alberta Beef Producers office.
The technique is controversial because the eruption of permanent incisor teeth is known to vary according to the animal’s sex, breed and diet. Some breeds get their permanent teeth as young as 24 months.
The CFIA is examining a proposal from the beef industry to reconsider how age is determined.
This may include allowing the eruption of the fourth incisor or some other means.
