LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – An identification system that tracks individual cattle through the food chain is coming but the trick is deciding what technology to use.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association initiated a national identification system this year that aims to provide animal information for producers and their customers.
During the recent international beef symposium held here, producers were told the first priority is to develop a system that traces individual animals back to their herd of origin. The information is valuable if problems with chemical residues, reportable diseases or other contaminants show up at the feedlot or slaughter house.
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The association established a national identification agency to certify private service centres. These centres will issue the numbers to producers who buy animal identification. The agency will also look at the various types of identification available. The goal is to have a national, voluntary traceback system running by 1999, said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the CCA.
Tim McAllister, of Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre, told the symposium that there are several systems available. Producers have to decide what degree of sophistication they require and how they will use the information.
“There is no sense in loading these numbers into a computer database if you are never going to use them,” said McAllister.
No identification system will satisfy the needs of all producers under all situations.
The biggest challenge is making sure the information can be traced to the live animal and the carcass. Visual tags and electronic systems are available.
In visual systems, plastic eartags are commonly used. Packers resist the use of metal tags because they could carry contaminants.
Ear tags are easy to apply since they go into the cartilage of the upper ear. They are easy to spot in a field and are inexpensive, costing between 10 cents and $2 a tag.
On the downside, tags can be lost, and once the animal is on the kill floor it is hard to collect data at packing plant line speeds.
“Once the head is gone, so is the ear. The carcass is split and you’ve lost identification of the animal,” said McAllister.
Electronic identification commonly uses a bar code on an eartag. This system is similar to what people might see at the grocery store. Direct physical contact is necessary to scan information, which the animal might resist.
Bar codes enable ear tags to store information and cost $1 to $3 each. Drawbacks are the potential for damage such as scratches or mud on the code, the expense of readers and the need for tags to be in direct line for reading.
Bar codes can also be read with noncontact scanners, but there are problems with compatibility among different systems. They can also be expensive. Bar code scanners range from $3,000 to $6,000.
Radio frequency identification offers another system that doesn’t require direct contact with the animal.
One system consists of a small transponder 11 to 14 millimetres long implanted in the ear or dew claw above the foot. It is activated by an electromagnetic field from an antenna rather than a battery.
If the transponder is not properly implanted it can travel down the neck and possibly contaminate the meat.
Another system is the rumen bolus where the transponder is lodged in the animal’s stomach. It is tamper proof and requires a special reader. Its broadcast distance depends on the size of the antenna.
The bolus can be reused and costs from $6 to $12. The device has a three to four year lifespan. Technology has not developed to the point where animals can be scanned in the field, so it still requires an eartag for additional identification.
Readers and transponders can be expensive and compatibility between systems remains a problem.
Besides identification, these more sophisticated electronic systems can record information like the animal’s temperature, rumen measurements like pH balance and ammonia, weight gain, feed and mineral intake.
All this can be fed into a data bank on individuals to note weight gains, breeding strategies, feed programs, drug programs and carcass quality.
