Cattle Industry Preparing For Traceability Rule

The U.S. cattle industry will have a new level of disease protection next month when USDA’s enhanced animal disease traceability rule takes effect.  Rapid response to an animal disease outbreak is the aim of the new USDA traceability rule, with its visual checks and electronic tags to track most breeding cattle crossing state lines.

Former National Cattlemen’s Beef Association head Todd Wilkinson warned this year an FMD disaster would shut down cattle movement for at least 72 hours.  And to those producers who don’t want to bother with electronic tags.

“All of us have to just think back to the BSE case and other situations. Look at our friends in the poultry business. If we don’t think an animal disease is going to come into this country, as porous as our borders are, and impact our producers, you’re burying your head in the sand.”

Congress approved $15 million dollars this year to help producers afford electronic ID tags and avert possibly billions in economic losses.

But data privacy is another concern.  NCBA President Mark Eisele said earlier this year that the group wants private third-party firms, rather than USDA to hold data, protecting producer privacy while still allowing rapid traceback if there’s a disease outbreak.

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