The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association supports the USDA’s new rule for animal disease traceability, but some groups and individuals continue to fight the measures.

Lack of traceability in U.S. beef industry is a disgrace

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

The U.S. beef industry has struggled for much of the 36 years I have covered it to introduce a meaningful national animal traceability system. Its inability to do so is not only a disgrace but a real danger as a disease outbreak could bring the industry to its knees financially. Various efforts to introduce a […] Read more

(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

PigTrace tag prices go up Dec. 15

Program costs 'unsustainable' without price increase

One of the prices producers pay for hog traceability will be going up 10 per cent. The Manitoba Pork Council said in a notice to producers Wednesday that the Canadian Pork Council will apply a 10 per cent increase to the prices of PigTrace ear tags and accessories, effective Dec. 15. Table: PigTrace ear tag […] Read more


Under the new regulations, only “tag dealers” will be allowed to sell RFID tags, meaning producers won’t be able to sell their unused tags.

Cattle sector weighs in on new traceability regulations

While some changes are seen as practical and positive, industry officials are concerned about others that could add complications and cost

It’s 2003, and a crisis is descending on the Canadian cattle herd. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has just been found in a black Angus cow in Alberta. Chaos follows: borders slam shut and the government pledges millions in aid. The border to the United States will remain shuttered until 2005, when it opens for young […] Read more

File photo of goats on display at the Hanover Agricultural Fair in Grunthal, Man. in August 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Fairs, exhibitions concerned over new traceability proposals

Event volunteers may lack skills needed, association says

The Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (CAFE) says proposed federal regulations regarding livestock traceability are putting animal events across the country at risk. Their concerns centre around new directives centred around moving and tagging which they say would affect Canada’s 5,000 fairs, rodeos and other events. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed that […] Read more


File photo of goats on display at the Hanover Agricultural Fair in Grunthal, Man. in August 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

CFIA seeks feedback on traceability, animal ID amendments

Producers have until June 16 to comment on proposals

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now seeking comment on its proposed amendments to livestock identification and traceability regulations. The regulatory proposal would address what the agency calls “gaps” in the current system, including: adding goats and cervids as animal species that share diseases with other regulated livestock, and therefore subject to traceability requirements, shortening […] Read more

cow with ear identification tag

UHF tags now linkable to CCIA-approved tags

Canadian beef producers can now link ultra-high-frequency technology (UHF) tags to tags approved by the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. Once the tags are paired, scanning either tag will point to the same animal in the Canadian Livestock Tracking System database. According to Anne Brunet-Burgess, general manager at the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA), the UHF […] Read more


Contact tracing is not limited to infectious disease epidemics among humans; it is also used during infectious disease outbreaks in livestock.

Contact tracing: Trying to get it right

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Epidemiologic contact tracing is an arduous and time-consuming process, yet very important. Timely interventions reduce the size and scale of infectious disease epidemics. Methods that are more efficient at identifying contacts allow more effective controls to be implemented sooner, reducing the epidemic’s magnitude. Ebola epidemics in West Africa and a two-year COVID-19 pandemic that infected […] Read more

(Obhecc.com)

Ontario’s broiler egg tracking systems backed for upgrades

Systems used to track broiler hatching egg and chick production in Ontario will get upgrades using federal-provincial cost-shared funding. The federal and Ontario governments on Monday last week announced up to $141,450 through the Place to Grow: Agri-food Innovation Initiative, a Canadian Agricultural Partnership program, for the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission (OBHECC). […] Read more


Questions remain around blockchain and beef traceability in Canada

Questions remain around blockchain and beef traceability in Canada

Will the technology sustain enough interest for the concept to reach its full potential?

Blockchain is a buzz-worthy concept in various industries, and companies around the world are investigating how this technology can improve traceability in the agri-food industry. However, there are numerous questions to be answered before the Canadian beef industry can determine if blockchain is feasible for traceability. A blockchain is a web-based record-keeping system used to […] Read more

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency redesigns traceability app

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency redesigns traceability app

Traceability: News Roundup from the March 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) has redesigned its traceability app. The CCIA’s database, known as the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS), is accessible to livestock producers via the CLTS MOBO app. The MOBO app first launched in 2010. It is now more user-friendly than ever, “with streamlined features and intuitive design,” states a press […] Read more