New Zealand improves livestock traceability

Listed breeding company Livestock Improvement (LIC) has launched a new business division it hopes will help farmers to cope with increasingly onerous international animal identification rules. In order to meet the needs of safety-conscious consumers in Europe and Asia an industry working group has recommended that a mandatory animal ID system be put in place by October 2007. The issue of animal identification was highlighted this month when Korean authorities discovered unacceptable traces of pesticide in New Zealand beef. The pesticide was traced to one Northland farmer and all the cases of contaminated meat were identified.

 

Now every animal on every farm will be given a unique number which it will carry all the way to market. Cattle identification schemes are mandatory for all major trading partners except the US. Traceability, LIC's new business unit, will aim to transfer the firm's existing identification technology from dairy cows to other livestock. More than 90 per cent of New Zealand dairy farmers already use LIC's Herd Minder recording system.

 

Food Traceability 2006 conference will be held on February 1-2 2006 in Dallas, USA. This hot topic is driven by health scares, bioterrorism and new laws. It will become the largest RFID application but we cover DNA and many other vital technologies as well. For further details please visit www.trackingfood.com 

 

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