Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:32:50 GMT

Those reports emphasize the public health risks. I'm also very very concerned whether (or not) the animal's welfare is properly safeguarded.

Wynne

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

macflea — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:17:43 GMT

google the illegal slaughter plant outside newry in northern ireland last year . interesting article

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 17:39:14 GMT

The ONLY place you could put a chip in a farm animal would be the ear itself.

I could see it being very feasible to collect a tissue sample when the cow was tagged and that lodged on a central database. Using the same tags they do for BVD tissue sampling. I think a tag as a primary means of identification is still sensible.

If an untagged animal was found a sample could be taken, analysed and billed to the owner of the tagged animal.

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Anthony Dennison — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 16:57:04 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]Is there a better system, would microchips really work?[/quote]

Not sure - with the risk of migration you might never know where it is - and there's a larger area to look for it in farm animals!

Then there's the risk of it breaking due to a knock. Plus whichever joint the chip was insereted into wouldn't be able to be used.

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:53:57 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]I wonder if there's a black market in tags and passports from animals that have died on farm and the carcasses disposed of through unofficial channels?[/quote]

Probably

There was a case in Gloucestershire a few years ago relating to tagging

It's quite easy for farmers to get in a mess with tags, often having 20% of cattle on the farm that aren't really there. You only have to do a TB test to realise it's not right. I had a standing joke? with farmers that if every animal matched BCMS that was cause for celebration and only 15 herd tests were spot on and I was doing VE-SI tests for the Government!! There was a tolerance to it too and the reconciliation of herd numbers to the BCMS printout is part of TB testing now.

Is there a better system, would microchips really work?

Neil

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:45:27 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]

1 tag, maybe, 100 is pretty tricky

Each tag is linked to a passport, so you need both to get them through an abattoir.

[/quote]

I wonder if there's a black market in tags and passports from animals that have died on farm and the carcasses disposed of through unofficial channels?

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:13:24 GMT

Seriously worrying.

Wynne

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Nhombokisheni — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 14:12:23 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]

1 tag, maybe, 100 is pretty tricky

Each tag is linked to a passport, so you need both to get them through an abattoir.

[/quote] Thats my point, its the tag that is linked to the passport...not the animal. Going back a decade, we had one farmer who was located just outside an urban area, built and registered an abattoir. He got Meat Inspectors three days a week. All was well until a diarrhoea outbreak was traced back to one of his outlets. We found he was slaughtering clandestinely in between official inspections and mixing the inspected and uninspected meat (stewing beef mostly) and mincing for sausages/burgers/pies........these processes rmoved the official stamps see. And this guy was meticulous in record keeping and had "all tags accounted for". He produced what he wanted us to see and destroyed the rest. For all I know some of us might have already eaten meat from these animals unaware.............hope not!!!!!!

RE: Livestock Traceability--Is it time for a rethink?

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:47:54 GMT

1 tag, maybe, 100 is pretty tricky

Each tag is linked to a passport, so you need both to get them through an abattoir.

If memory serves me right you have till 28 days old to get the passports in place.

There are a few ways round the system, notably pretend to have an animal born, register this for a passport then if you forget to register then you can substitute across. However for 100 fully grown beasties that's trickier.

I found a number of ear tag foul ups on TB tests. The best one was a tag that had a different number either side

The most 'amusing' was one poor farmer who had tagged 28 heifers, hadn't put the metal tag in, relying on the plastic tag, and all bar one had fallen out, eenie, meenie, minee, mo!!

Neil

PS Trading standards do ear tag tests, though not as often as they used to and you needed 2 in place, and they never liaised with a TB test as this stopped 'the element of surprise' (yes, really)