Momentum Building for Cattle Traceability

Volume 31 | November 12, 2018

“The discussion has started to become not if we have an animal disease outbreak, but when,” explained Greg Ibach, undersecretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs.

Yes, there is the mandatory USDA Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) program. But it only pertains to cattle older than 18 months crossing state lines. Plus, patchwork state regulations can make for inconsistent enforcement of the federal regulation.

No, a traceability system does nothing to prevent disease. However, a robust traceability system could pave the way for containment and control of foot-and-mouth disease, or a similar one, at an exponentially faster rate than is currently possible.

WI-Origin Tags Now Available!

WLIC is selling Wisconsin-branded tags, as well as readers and taggers on our website in the online store!

The WLIC online store gives producers several options for purchasing the WI-Origin™ tags, including choice of style, color, and price. Other preferences include a selection of both RFID (radio frequency identification), or non-RFID tags.

WLIC is competitively priced and all proceeds will be used to fund our programs and services. In addition, Allflex, USA, provides WLIC with a 10-cent rebate for every Wisconsin-branded tag sold.

WLIC Trivia

All premises ID's are registered through APHIS, what does APHIS stand for?

A) Always People Helping in Science

B) Animal People Having Inspections Soon

C) American Plant Harvest Initiating Service

D) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Answer shown below!

In the News

New Zealand Conducts Massive Cull

It may seem a radical step to cull more than 120,000 head of cattle to eradicate a disease. But it appears Mycoplasma Bovis caught the New Zealand government somewhat off-guard.

While investigations continued to probe into how M Bovis actually entered New Zealand, frantic efforts have been underway to first control the disease and then eradicate it.

A Genetic Test for Johne's?

Johne’s disease, also called mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, results in inflammation and damage to the intestinal wall and negatively affects absorption of nutrients and overall cattle performance. The disease is present on dairies around the world, causing significant economic and animal welfare losses.

Electronic ID Moves Closer to New Standard

“The landscape surrounding animal disease traceability has changed dramatically in the past decade, and producers across the nation recognize that a comprehensive system is the best protection against a devastating disease outbreak like foot-and-mouth disease,” says Greg Ibach, undersecretary for the USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs.