Canadian swine producers are reviewing the first draft of a proposal for swine identification that will become part of a national livestock identification and tracking system designed to identify the origin of livestock during a foreign animal disease outbreak. The multispecies national system, overseen by the Canadian Livestock Identification Agency, will be comprised of unique commodity-based programs.
The proposal calls for implementation of the system in three phases: 1) premise registration and tattoo system, 2) structure database and 3) implementation of the system. Initially, the system will track animals from the slaughter plant back to the farm they came from. It will then expand into an electronic database that will ultimately track all animal movements.
[Ed. This plan is very similar to the system proposed to USDA by US pork producers which would build on the identification requirements already in place to eradicate PRV. The US pork producers’ proposal would insure that the numbering methods used to identify individual animals and groups/lots can be integrated into a national database described in USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Program Standards. As with the Canadian system, premise registration is the first step and is currently on-going. Step two is the identification of individual animals and/or groups/lots of animals and the recording of movements. Step three will be establishing a method by which this information can be effectively accessed by animal health officials to address specific animal health issues. The Pork Industry Identification Working Group (PIIWG) has forwarded a plan to USDA describing the standards by which the pork industry will address swine identification. This plan can be reviewed at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/audiences/swine/content/PIIWGReport9_05.pdf.]
Sources:
Farmscape.ca
http://www.farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.aspx?i=21804&q=CPC+Working+Group+Unveils+Draft+National+Swine+Traceability+System
USDA NAIS Program Standards http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/about/pdf/NAISDraftProgramStandards42505.pdf