Kevin Hursh article on behalf of Ken H...

[smcgrath76]

Cattle ID feedback
Over the past couple of days, I’ve heard
from a number of cattle producers
questioning the electronic ID program.
Some producers say they were initially
supporters of individual animal ID.
Others say the mandatory system has
always been industry driven rather than
producer driven. There are stories of
poor retention rates for the RFID
buttons and reports of cattle with
numerous holes in their ears. The cost
and the work involved in tagging and re-
tagging animals are major points of
contention. There are also stories of
confusion over how the rules are applied
by CFIA. Some producers are using the ID
system for their own herd management,
but still question Canada’s direction on
the issue. Overwhelmingly, we have
commodity beef and yet we’re
implementing a Cadillac ID system. We
have a beef industry that’s tied to the
U.S., but our main trading partner has
backed away from a national ID plan. For
a law to work, people have to accept the
reason for the law. Increasingly,
Canadian cattle producers are wondering
if the ID rules are paying any
dividends. I’m Kevin Hursh.

[coppertop]

Paying dividends ??? I doubt it !!!

[grassfarmer]

Not paying obvious dividends merely a cost of doing business in the modern age. A Cadillac ID system?? hardly, more like a Trabant as it currently stands.
I wish folks would get over this non-issue and start looking at the issues that are collectively costing them about $500 a head on finished animals.

[Happytrails]

Grassfarmer, if you think this is a non issue why don't you leave the commenting to those of us who think that it is? Maybe you are afraid that an open discussion will motivate cattlemen to say "WHOA" and call the bluff of Alta Ag and ALMA. I think animal movement tracking by ID tags has the potential to seriously disrupt markets, increase costs and worst of all, drive the little guys out of cattle. Don't forget that every calf needs a mother and I don't see the big feeders raising their own calves.

[coppertop]

I don't think there would have been half
the push back on this issue if the former
Minister of Agriculture would have shown
some respect for the cow/calf producers of
this Province. The new Minister has said
he wants to work with the cow/calf
producers because without them we will lose
the livestock feeding and packing industry.

[grassfarmer]

No Happytrails, I'll reserve my right to comment on any issue I want to. Nothing wrong with highlighting both sides of an issue in my opinion.

Coppertop, I'm not holding my breath on the new minister changing things greatly. Unfortunately Canada and Alberta seem to have had their agriculture policies set for them by USDA and Cargill for years. ALMA/CCIA/traceability are not what are driving the vast majority of producers and feedlots to the wall currently. The reason is pure and simple - not enough money getting back to the producer because the packers and retailers are taking too much. Failure to tackle these issues is missing the crux of the problem in my book.

[Happytrails]

Coppertop, I think you are missing the point if you think that ID tag tracking is being opposed because it wasn't presented well. I hope that the new minister will do more than say he is listening to us and actually use our input to make policy decisions. I think replacing livestock inspection (LIS) with tag readers is a bad idea that should be abandoned. Reading ID tags is part of many operations, even my own, but making it mandatory has no support. Well I've got a pony waiting to head out into the Arizona desert. Adios.

[PureCountry]

To my knowledge no one is abdicating the replacement of LIS with Tag Readers. Tag readers do not read brands, and since 45-46% of cattle in the province are still branded, how do you check them? The principles of the system is to have the brands and the tags as a 2-part system, and that together, they make tracking animal movement easier. There is currently nothing better in place. Yes not all cattle are branded, and tags can be cut out, blah, blah, blah. That's worst case scenario, and it's uncommon. Best case scenario is more people start branding, learn how to properly apply tags to increase retention rates, and we go to using 1 company for tags so as to reduce the number of faulty tags and scanners.

If the industry is going to keep going as it has( BIG "IF" ), with confinement feeding and multi-nationals fighting for export markets, then there ought to be a tracking system in place.

I agree with GF, there are bigger problems though.

[Happytrails]

PureCountry, I have no problems with your goals, only the methods. I've seen no cost/benefit analysis by Alta Ag to support the system they are pushing. We know ID tag tracking will cost us more and maybe a lot more. The responsibility to make it work is being downloaded to the truckers, auctions and feedlots. Do you think they are going to do it for nothing? I often see it argued that beef production in Canada is not cost competitive other suppliers. I don't happen to share that opinion now but if we continue to load up our regulatory burden it will happen and then we lose the industry.

[Superbad]

FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE - HURSH

Livestock ID enhancements carry potential benefits
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
Wed Feb 17 2010
Page: B5 / FRONT
Section: Business
Byline: Kevin Hursh
Column: Kevin Hursh
Source: Special to The StarPhoenix
Here in Canada, we're enhancing our livestock
identification programs. Individual cattle ID with
radio frequency ear tags (RFID), age verification,
premise ID, animal movement records -- about the
only thing that isn't planned is a GPS locator
attached to each individual animal.

Incredibly, American efforts for a national animal
identification system are back to Square 1. After
years of work and millions of dollars of investment,
critics of the system have carried the day.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has
announced the United States Department of
Agriculture will develop a new flexible framework
for animal disease traceability. Efforts will only
apply to animals moved in interstate commerce.

The plan will be administered by the states and
tribal nations. As well, lower-cost technology will
be encouraged. The goal is a collaborative process,
meaning there will be lots of talking before
anything happens.

Here in Canada, we're piling on more animal ID
expenses, while our main trading partner is years
behind us and going the opposite direction.
Understandably, there are many cattle producers
questioning the wisdom of the road we're taking.

Some producers say they were initially supporters
of individual animal ID, but now they're having
doubts. Despite our traceability system, we've had
great difficulty reopening key export markets after
they were closed in 2003 due to the BSE (mad cow
disease) outbreak.

Other producers say our mandatory system has
always been industry driven rather than producer
driven. They tell stories of poor retention rates for
the RFID buttons and cattle with numerous holes in
their ears. The cost and the work involved in
tagging and re-tagging animals are major points of
contention.

Overwhelmingly, we have commodity beef and yet
we're implementing a Cadillac ID system. We have a
beef industry that's tied to the U.S., but our main
trading partner has backed away from a national ID
plan. Increasingly, Canadian cattle producers are
wondering if the ID rules are paying any dividends.

However, the biggest benefits from the system may
yet to be seen and they may be unrelated to disease
traceability or age verification.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association is building a
value chain database called the Beef InfoXchange
System (BIXS). It will enable individual animal
performance, health, carcass data and more to be
uploaded to a central database at each step of the
beef value chain.

For the first time, producers will be able to follow
the performance of their calves through the feedlot
and into packing plants. Of course, the basis of the
system will be the ID program, which identifies
each individual animal. If the ID is required anyway,
we might as well be making use of it.

Most cow-calf producers don't retain their calves
until they reach slaughter weight. They have no
evidence of how their calves grow or how the
carcasses grade. With information will come power
-- power to adjust genetics and production
practices and hopefully the power to command
premium prices for premium livestock.

Information for each animal will be maintained on a
master website and anyone who has owned that
animal will be able to see the statistics.

Larry Thomas of BIXS says, "We are just starting in
the beta testing of the upload portal and grid with
producers from Ontario to B.C. inclusive." He says
this will take the better part of six weeks and then
they will make any necessary adjustments leading
up to implementation.

There may be problems and delays. Producer
feedback may necessitate some changes, but
Thomas is hoping for a spring launch. Much more
information is available at (bixs.cattle.ca.»)

For cattle producers in the business for the long
term, BIXS should be a great development. Perhaps
it will make the pain and expense of animal ID
worthwhile.

Kevin Hursh is a consulting agrologist and farmer
based in Saskatoon. He can be reached at
kevin@hursh.ca.

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I think it is hard to justify the extra expense if we have to compete on price to hold onto grocery shelf space against the cheapest imported beef the grocery buyers can source.......