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NCBA Shares Ideas on Animal ID A packed house of more than 275 cattle producers shared their ideas and opinions on the future of animal identification in the United States during a symposium at the NCBA Convention in San Antonio. The forum provided information on the global practices and implications of animal identification, as well as its relevance to animal health and consumer marketing issues. Among the topics discussed was how animal identification can be used to help meet consumer demand for beef. Lively discussion among participants was spread throughout the 6-hour session. "Individual animal identification continues to be a growing issue within the cattle and beef industry," said Lemmy Wilson of Tennessee. "And it's critical that we, as the industry leadership, get ahead of the curve on controlling our own destiny." Wilson said an animal ID task force concluded the industry must move toward a consumer-focused production system, which requires sharing knowledge throughout the entire chain to maximize value. Individual animal identification of cattle is an important tool in that process. John Todd, chairman of the NCBA subcommittee on animal identification, agreed. "There's no question that change is coming," he said. "Individual animal identification has many, many benefits to the producer who embraces it." Todd said in closing remarks that the ranches he manages implemented individual animal identification four years ago, and while there have been some extra costs the additional profits have more than covered them. "In fact, individual animal tracking has had a major, positive benefit to our bottom line." Wilson said animal identification is something that could be used to the producer's advantage. By itself, he said, "it is not the solution to animal disease control challenges, and it is not an immediate solution to food safety problems," but may be part of a science-based, integrated approach to them. He added that animal identification is a tool to "ensure our competitive position on our respective operations, as a participant in the U.S. beef industry, and as a competitor in the global marketplace." According to Wilson, any system that's created will be as valuable to all size of operations. "We believe everyone in the beef business should have the opportunity to participate, enhance their viability, improve their product, and ultimately increase their bottom line. |
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