USDA Ignores Recommendations of BSE Experts

[Oldtimer]

5/9/2005 7:19:00 PM


R-Calf Cattle Update: USDA Ignores Recommendations of BSE Experts



(Billings, Mont.) – For years, R-CALF USA has defended the United States' long-standing safeguards to protect against the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the U.S. cattle herd from countries affected by this disease. However, advocates of relaxing those critical safeguards have said R-CALF USA does not follow "sound science."



Two years ago, officials with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rejected (almost entirely) the recommendations of its own 14-member expert panel after scientists on the panel warned USDA that because of Canada's BSE problem – at that time just one known case – most Canadian beef products should be classified as moderate-risk to high-risk – not low-risk.



Importantly, the panel stated that specific mitigation measures should be implemented before the U.S. lifted its ban on Canadian beef or cattle.



"Most of these measures were not implemented before August 2003, when USDA lifted the ban on boxed beef," said Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA CEO. "Even those precautionary measure that were implemented back then will now be relaxed under USDA's Final Rule."



USDA assigned its Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Working Group the task of determining the risk of introducing BSE into the United States through imports of Canadian cattle and/or beef products. In a memo dated June 16, 2003, the group reported that 22 of the items investigated – including veal calves and certain boneless beef cuts from animals younger than 24 months of age – should be classified as low-risk, provided certain risk-mitigation measures were applied. Twenty-six other products – including whole/half carcasses from animals under 24 months of age and bone-in beef from animals over 24 months of age – were deemed to be moderate risk. But 10 other items – including animals over 24 months of age imported for immediate slaughter, as well as ground beef – should be considered high risk.



Importantly, the panel said if additional cases of BSE were found in Canadian animals, additional precautions would be needed. Now that four cases of BSE have been discovered – all in animals of Canadian origin – serious questions have arisen regarding USDA's continued efforts to allow Canada to export cattle and beef into the U.S. when it is produced under weaker standards than are practiced in every other country where BSE is known also to exist.



"The working group made about seven specific recommendations to USDA in order to maintain the health and safety of our domestic cattle herd – which USDA should recognize as the single most important priority for this industry – but these recommendations have been dismissed by the agency in favor of apparently political goals," Bullard said.



"Nearly all of the science-based measures recommended by this scientific TSE team are measures R-CALF USA has encouraged USDA to follow, beginning with its first comments to the agency in early 2004," continued Bullard. "We simply don't understand why the agency refuses to follow well-reasoned and scientifically supported measures before taking actions to expose the U.S. to unnecessary and avoidable risks."



USDA had hoped to reopen the Canadian border on March 7 through its Final Rule published on Jan. 4, 2005, but R-CALF USA requested and was granted (on March 2) by the federal court in Billings, Mont., a preliminary injunction to stop that from happening. The final hearing in district court is slated for July 27th, although USDA has appealed the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and it is unknown how quickly that particular court will make an announcement about the case.



Visitors to: http://www.r-calfusa.com can click the "BSE-Litigation" link to view the TSE Working Group Memo in its entirety. Listed below are just a few examples of the scientific precautions USDA chose to ignore:



Final Rule does not require a determination of Canada's BSE prevalence rate through increased testing prior to increasing or decreasing the restrictions recommended by the TSE Working Group.
Final Rule does not require, and Canada has not achieved, a sufficient level of testing to detect BSE at a rate of less than 1 case per million adult cattle as recommended by the TSE Working Group. In fact, Canada itself states it must test 30,000 head annually to determine a prevalence rate of 1 case of BSE per million cattle. Canada tested only 23,550 cattle in all of 2004.
The Final Rule does not require Canada to remove SRMs (defined on page 7 of TSE report as the brain, spinal cord, intestine (not just small intestine), eyes, and tonsils from cattle of all ages from human food as recommended by the TSE Working Group. The Final Rule only requires Canada to remove the tonsils and small intestines from Canadian cattle that are younger than 30 months of age.
Final Rule does not require the removal of SRMs from animal food as recommended by the TSE Working Group (to prevent the inadvertent feeding of pig, poultry, or pet food to cattle).
Final Rule does not require dedicated rendering facilities and mills for processing of ruminant byproducts as recommended by the TSE Working Group (this measure is to prevent cross-contamination that has been known to occur in non-segregated facilities, despite flushing and cleansing efforts that have been shown to be ineffective in preventing such cross-contamination).
USDA did not complete an assessment of trade impacts with the rest of the world before issuing the Final Rule as recommended by the TSE Working Group. In fact, USDA is now trying to convince U.S. export countries that they should accept the BSE measures the Final Rule imposes on Canada, which are far more lenient than the measures applied by every other BSE-affected country in the world.
Neither APHIS nor FDA has eliminated the current U.S. plate-waste exemption, in the feed ban, as recommended by the TSE Working Group.
The Final Rule did not include any additional restrictions after the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cases of BSE were detected in Canadian cattle in late 2003 and early 2005, as recommended by the TSE Working Group. In fact, the Final Rule remains weaker, in all respects, to the recommendations of the TSE Working Group, demonstrating that risk mitigation measures were weakened, rather than strengthened after multiple cases of BSE were detected.
The Final Rule does not prohibit the importation of live cattle over 24 months of age as recommended by the TSE Working Group, which classified cattle over 24 months of age as high-risk. The Final Rule only prohibits the importation of live cattle over 30 months of age.
10. The Final Rule does not prohibit the importation of ground beef as recommended by the TSE Working Group, which classified ground beef from cattle of any age as high-risk.

The Final Rule does not require that only beef from cattle slaughtered before reaching the age of 24 months – and which have had their brain, spinal cord, tonsil, eyes, and intestines removed – can be imported into the United States. The Final Rule allows beef from cattle up to 30 months of age – with only the tonsils and small intestines removed – to be imported into the United States.
Did not remove poultry litter and blood from cattle feed.

 

[frenchie]

5/9/2005 7:19:00 PM

serious questions have arisen regarding USDA's continued efforts to allow Canada to export cattle and beef into the U.S. when it is produced under weaker standards than are practiced in every other country where BSE is known also to exist.

By weaker standards were you refering to our national ID program or our 800 % increase in b.S.e testing dickie boy.. maybe you would like to tell us about the U.S national program. that may or may not get off the ground in 2009

Final Rule does not require a determination of Canada's BSE prevalence rate through increased testing prior to increasing or decreasing the restrictions recommended by the TSE Working Group.
Final Rule does not require, and Canada has not achieved, a sufficient level of testing to detect BSE at a rate of less than 1 case per million adult cattle as recommended by the TSE Working Group. In fact, Canada itself states it must test 30,000 head annually to determine a prevalence rate of 1 case of BSE per million cattle. Canada tested only 23,550 cattle in all of 2004.

May 2, 2005 - The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) today commended Canada's beef cattle producers and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for increasing BSE surveillance by almost 800 percent in each of the first four months of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004.

"Canada's cattle producers recognize that to rebuild our industry we must take all the steps necessary to maintain our minimal risk status," says Stan Eby, CCA President. "This includes testing for BSE surveillance purposes at levels recommended by the OIE. Our target this year is 30,000 tests of high risk animals. This level of surveillance is statistically valid to indicate BSE prevalence per million head of cattle. With the first four months of testing now completed, Canada is on target to surpass our surveillance target for 2005 by at least 100 percent

In 2004, Canada tested 386 animals in January, 550 animals in February, 797 animals in March and 877 animals in April. A huge increase has taken place in 2005 with 5,194 animals tested in January, 4,990 tested in February, 5,591 tested in March and 5,572 tested in April according to records posted on the CFIA website

Final Rule does not require the removal of SRMs from animal food as recommended by the TSE Working Group (to prevent the inadvertent feeding of pig, poultry, or pet food to cattle).

Final Rule does not require dedicated rendering facilities and mills for processing of ruminant byproducts as recommended by the TSE Working Group (this measure is to prevent cross-contamination that has been known to occur in non-segregated facilities, despite flushing and cleansing efforts that have been shown to be ineffective in preventing such cross-contamination).

NEW REGULATIONS PROPOSED FOR BSE-RELATED FEED CONTROLS


OTTAWA, December 10, 2004 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has proposed amendments to federal regulations that will strengthen existing animal feed controls. The amendments are intended to further protect Canadian cattle from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The proposed amendments prohibit the use of specified risk material (SRM) in animal feeds, including pet food. SRM are cattle tissues that may contain the agent that causes BSE. The Government of Canada already requires the removal of SRM from the human food supply, which is the most effective measure that can be taken to protect public health from BSE.

As a precautionary measure, the Government implemented a feed ban in 1997 prohibiting the feeding of ruminant animals with most mammalian proteins. Preventing SRM from entering the feed production chain enhances the existing feed ban by diminishing the effects of potential cross-contamination of animal feeds that could occur as feed is produced and distributed, as well as any inappropriate on-farm use.

The amendments also prohibit the use of SRM in fertilizers. This provision is intended to prevent the potential accidental or intentional misuse of fertilizers as feed. As well, it addresses the possibility that contaminated grazing pastures could spread BSE, although the current science surrounding the environmental behaviour of the disease is incomplete.

The proposed regulations have been placed in the Canada Gazette Part 1. A 75-day comment period ending February 24, 2005 is being provided to give regulated industries, trading partners and other interested parties the opportunity to review the proposed amendments and provide the CFIA with written comments. This comment period builds on extensive consultations undertaken during the development of the amendments

Did not remove poultry litter and blood from cattle feed.

Tell me did the U.S ban feeding chicken litter and blood meal..if so when?

good nite

 

[Bez]

He said she said.

She said he said.

I am at the point where I will not believe news articles on BSE. I no longer am interested in what usually becomes an exercise in finger pointing by someone from somewhere.

Numbers can be made to say anything.

Canada did this - U.S. of A. did that.

U.S. of A. did not do this - Canada did not do that.

If the glass can hold 10 ounces of water in total - but at present only holds 5 ounces:

Is it half full, or is it half empty? I am sure there will be those who will be more than happy to tell me - in the end I will believe my own mind.

We have no control over what happens by the feds or the big players on either side of the border. They do not give a rats @ss about any of us - as long as they get their supply of animals so they can make their profit - producers be d@mned.

Neither side is perfect and each side would have you think the other side is screwing up on a daily basis.

I would like to think that despite all of the articles written and all of the consultations at national and international levels have the best interest of the industry at heart - but I am cynical enough to now believe this is not the case.

Makes for lousy relations.

Bez

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Bez- I agree with your "He said She said" analysis.... There is so many unanswered questions out there- even with our government agencies, that have been caught violating their own rules and trying to make up new ones to accomodate the big money lobbys....

That is why this case needs to go to a full trial and have all the isssues and evidence laid out.........

 

[2centsworth]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Oldtimer - you have to remember that Canada is testing high-risk cattle and the United States is testing random cattle. That accounts for the larger number of BSE cases found in Canada.

 

[frenchie]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Oldtimer - you have to remember that Canada is testing high-risk cattle and the United States is testing random cattle. That accounts for the larger number of BSE cases found in Canada.

Have you not heard all the ads USDA is running to have all your downer or dead cows tested?

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

 

[frenchie]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

You are dead wrong OT as usual, http://www.canadaid.com/Industry/auction_marts.shtml

You are the same guy that tells me most guys toss their papers away.Is this why Montana could not find the 6 angus bulls that entered its state from the same herd as the 1st b.s.e cow? hmmmm
What good is a I.D program if its not a national program..let me guess you want to hot-brand 800,000 producers herds.



As far as stock movement..in Canada..Some provinces have livestock manifests that are required to be filled out before movement.Very stiff fines for not having them

Many provinces have a brand program as well.

 

[frenchie]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Oldtimer - you have to remember that Canada is testing high-risk cattle and the United States is testing random cattle. That accounts for the larger number of BSE cases found in Canada.

Have you not heard all the ads USDA is running to have all your downer or dead cows tested?

So are they paying you for them? Ot to ensure they get them. Please tell us the details Ot

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Oldtimer - you have to remember that Canada is testing high-risk cattle and the United States is testing random cattle. That accounts for the larger number of BSE cases found in Canada.

Have you not heard all the ads USDA is running to have all your downer or dead cows tested?

So are they paying you for them? Ot to ensure they get them. Please tell us the details Ot

frenchie- I don't know if they are paying anything in this area-- A vet told me they pay all the disposal costs and pay the vet--I know some states have programs that pay the rancher too... Radio ad just says its the right thing to do- and that your grandpa would have done it..........The ad also says that they are looking at testing 250,000 head of the highest risk cattle, along with the other testing...

I just heard the ads on the local radio starting about 2 months ago-- but in talking with others I guess they have been playing for sometime in some parts of the country.......

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

You are dead wrong OT as usual, http://www.canadaid.com/Industry/auction_marts.shtml

You are the same guy that tells me most guys toss their papers away.Is this why Montana could not find the 6 angus bulls that entered its state from the same herd as the 1st b.s.e cow? hmmmm
What good is a I.D program if its not a national program..let me guess you want to hot-brand 800,000 producers herds.



As far as stock movement..in Canada..Some provinces have livestock manifests that are required to be filled out before movement.Very stiff fines for not having them

Many provinces have a brand program as well.

frenchie- I understand that eventually you are looking at having the infrastructure to track the animals lifetime movements and ownership-- same as the US's eventual plan...But you do not have it now-- where in many of the brand areas, every cross county movement of cattle and every change of ownership is documented and on record...That along with individual producer tagging systems and records ends up with a permanent record for traceback.....

And I reallize the US will have to come up with a nationwide system because of the many areas that have nothing- but it galls me every time I hear a Canadian say they have such a great system- when some parts of the US have had a better and permanent system for years...

And frenchie-- all the Canadian bulls were tracked down within a couple of days......

 

[frenchie]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

You are dead wrong OT as usual, http://www.canadaid.com/Industry/auction_marts.shtml

You are the same guy that tells me most guys toss their papers away.Is this why Montana could not find the 6 angus bulls that entered its state from the same herd as the 1st b.s.e cow? hmmmm
What good is a I.D program if its not a national program..let me guess you want to hot-brand 800,000 producers herds.



As far as stock movement..in Canada..Some provinces have livestock manifests that are required to be filled out before movement.Very stiff fines for not having them

Many provinces have a brand program as well.

frenchie- I understand that eventually you are looking at having the infrastructure to track the animals lifetime movements and ownership-- same as the US's eventual plan...But you do not have it now-- where in many of the brand areas, every cross county movement of cattle and every change of ownership is documented and on record...That along with individual producer tagging systems and records ends up with a permanent record for traceback...........

Oldtimer it is all on record, everytime cattle are sold ,butchered, or died in this country.Those tags numbers have to be accounted for.

And I reallize the US will have to come up with a nationwide system because of the many areas that have nothing- but it galls me every time I hear a Canadian say they have such a great system- when some parts of the US have had a better and permanent system for years..............

What galls you is that Canada has the ability to track its animals nation wide from birth to death.
Where as you can track your cattle from Billings to Glasgow

..............

And frenchie-- all the Canadian bulls were tracked down within a couple of days..............

Really do you want to post the article or are the bulls at your place?

 

[Oldtimer]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

You are dead wrong OT as usual, http://www.canadaid.com/Industry/auction_marts.shtml

You are the same guy that tells me most guys toss their papers away.Is this why Montana could not find the 6 angus bulls that entered its state from the same herd as the 1st b.s.e cow? hmmmm
What good is a I.D program if its not a national program..let me guess you want to hot-brand 800,000 producers herds.



As far as stock movement..in Canada..Some provinces have livestock manifests that are required to be filled out before movement.Very stiff fines for not having them

Many provinces have a brand program as well.

frenchie- I understand that eventually you are looking at having the infrastructure to track the animals lifetime movements and ownership-- same as the US's eventual plan...But you do not have it now-- where in many of the brand areas, every cross county movement of cattle and every change of ownership is documented and on record...That along with individual producer tagging systems and records ends up with a permanent record for traceback...........

Oldtimer it is all on record, everytime cattle are sold ,butchered, or died in this country.Those tags numbers have to be accounted for.

And I reallize the US will have to come up with a nationwide system because of the many areas that have nothing- but it galls me every time I hear a Canadian say they have such a great system- when some parts of the US have had a better and permanent system for years..............

What galls you is that Canada has the ability to track its animals nation wide from birth to death.
Where as you can track your cattle from Billings to Glasgow

..............

And frenchie-- all the Canadian bulls were tracked down within a couple of days..............

Really do you want to post the article or are the bulls at your place?

Frenchie- right now you can't track anything... You can tell where it first came from or who stuck the last ear tag in- but their is no record of movement or transfer- and no permanent ID......You have an eartag ID- but no ID system yet in place....

As far as the bulls go- You'll have to take my word as my boss was one of the ones that tracked them down- using the brand inspections.....They couldn't track each down to which burger box it went into- but were able to show where they had gone to slaughter......

 

[2centsworth]

Frenchie- right now you can't track anything... You can tell where it first came from or who stuck the last ear tag in- but their is no record of movement or transfer- and no permanent ID......You have an eartag ID- but no ID system yet in place....

As far as the bulls go- You'll have to take my word as my boss was one of the ones that tracked them down- using the brand inspections.....They couldn't track each down to which burger box it went into- but were able to show where they had gone to slaughter......

Don't you think it is quite presumptuous of you to tell a Canadian what his system is capable of when you have not experienced it first hand and refuse to read the literature frenchie made available? It seems to me it is pretty efficient when Canada has been able to trace every BSE case back within hours.

I would also like to to tell us more about the state tracking systems and what methods they use. If you are referring to branding and brand inspection, that is pretty unreliable when people don't register a specific brand with a specific location in most states. And if the cattle don't go through a sale barn, they never see a brand inspector. No, a brand can't fall out like a tag, but it can distort or be unreadable; so I would say there is close to the same loss in both systems, with more tracability in the tags.

 

[frenchie]

frenchie- You have to remember one thing when you compare the Canadian program to the US program-- there is a big risk difference--Canada has 4 origin cases of BSE- the U.S. has none.....

Ah but Dick could you do traceback if you had a problem...very unlikely as you have no national I.D in place to work with.

That is the beauty of the Canadian system ,we can traceback and elimate the problem animal and its herds mates, off spring etc.

Do you mean those little tags that fall out or can be removed and replaced? All Canada's program does now is show who was the last person to stick a tag in- no record of movement or transfers....Many of the states have had permanent ID systems with record of every movement and ownership transfer for years........

You are dead wrong OT as usual, http://www.canadaid.com/Industry/auction_marts.shtml

You are the same guy that tells me most guys toss their papers away.Is this why Montana could not find the 6 angus bulls that entered its state from the same herd as the 1st b.s.e cow? hmmmm
What good is a I.D program if its not a national program..let me guess you want to hot-brand 800,000 producers herds.



As far as stock movement..in Canada..Some provinces have livestock manifests that are required to be filled out before movement.Very stiff fines for not having them

Many provinces have a brand program as well.

frenchie- I understand that eventually you are looking at having the infrastructure to track the animals lifetime movements and ownership-- same as the US's eventual plan...But you do not have it now-- where in many of the brand areas, every cross county movement of cattle and every change of ownership is documented and on record...That along with individual producer tagging systems and records ends up with a permanent record for traceback...........

Oldtimer it is all on record, everytime cattle are sold ,butchered, or died in this country.Those tags numbers have to be accounted for.

And I reallize the US will have to come up with a nationwide system because of the many areas that have nothing- but it galls me every time I hear a Canadian say they have such a great system- when some parts of the US have had a better and permanent system for years..............

What galls you is that Canada has the ability to track its animals nation wide from birth to death.
Where as you can track your cattle from Billings to Glasgow

..............

And frenchie-- all the Canadian bulls were tracked down within a couple of days..............

Really do you want to post the article or are the bulls at your place?

Frenchie- right now you can't track anything... You can tell where it first came from or who stuck the last ear tag in- but their is no record of movement or transfer- and no permanent ID......You have an eartag ID- but no ID system yet in place....

As far as the bulls go- You'll have to take my word as my boss was one of the ones that tracked them down- using the brand inspections.....They couldn't track each down to which burger box it went into- but were able to show where they had gone to slaughter......

From CCa tag website. Can,t track yeah right.

Important Guidelines for Abattoirs



Record and report any CCIA tag numbers on cattle coming through your premise as required under the National Identification Regulations of the Federal Health of Animals Act.

Record the origin of any untagged cattle and maintain these records for use by CFIA.

All CCIA approved RFID tags are yellow in color and contain the CCIA Trademark (3/4 Maple Leaf and "CA" letters).

Used tags should not be returned; simply record and report the numbers to CCIA.



livestock dealers

Encourage your clients to tag their animals for the good of the beef cattle industry.

When you purchase untagged cattle you are responsible for tagging them prior to their leaving your possession. Record the origin of the cattle in your own records.

Animals that have lost tags must be re-tagged before they permanently leave your possession.

Keep a record of the ID number of animals that have been re-tagged after losing a tag, along with any information about their origin.

You may apply to become an approved tagging site and/or dealer of tags.

Tags should be applied according to manufacturer's directions, with the bar code facing forward.

Under no circumstance should a CCIA tag be removed from an animal that is already tagged.

If you apply a CCIA tag to an animal that already has one, you must report the cross-referenced numbers to the CCIA.

CCIA tags must not be re-used.

Take caution not to write on the tag's bar code as this will damage readability.

Tattoo ink should not be used as it will cause the tag to curl.
Note:

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is an industry conceived, developed and run organization.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program makes traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems faster and more efficient, which helps keep customers buying Canadian beef and cattle.

This program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

As of July 1, 2001 all cattle permanently leaving from any point beyond their herd of origin must be tagged.

After July 1, 2002 monetary penalties will be imposed for untagged cattle.
Important Guidelines for Livestock Dealers

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program is an industry-led initiative designed to promote beef consumption through assurance of efficient traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems. The program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

January 1, 2005
CCIA moves to RFID tags ( Radio Frequency Identification).
Bar coded tags will be grandfathered.

July 1, 2001
All cattle permanently leaving the herd of origin or any point beyond herd of origin must be tagged.

July 1, 2002
Monetary penalties will begin for non-compliance.

NO PERSON SHALL TRANSPORT, OR CAUSE THE TRANSPORTATION OF, RECEIVE, OR CAUSE THE RECEPTION OF, AN ANIMAL THAT DOES NOT BEAR AN APPROVED TAG, except to an approved tagging site

You may apply to become an approved tagging site, and/or dealer of tags.

100% compliance is now mandatory and the 5% slippage rate is no longer in effect.

If you are an approved Tagging Facility all untagged animals must be tagged upon arrival.




Livestock Auctions

This information is based on Section 183 (2) of the Canadian Health of Animals Regulations.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program came into effect January 1, 2001. All cattle in Canada are to be ear tagged with a CCIA-approved ear tag by the time they leave their herd of origin. Beginning July 1, 2001 all cattle are to be tagged prior to moving to a new owner and processors are required to maintain the individual ID number on the tag to the point of carcass inspection. Monetary penalties begin July 1, 2002.

Receiving untagged cattle – No person shall transport, or cause the transportation of , receive, or cause the reception of, an animal that does not bear an approved tag, except to an approved tagging site. The 5% slippage rate is no longer in effect, 100% compliance is now mandatory.

Selling Untagged Cattle – No untagged cattle can be sold through the auction.

Approved Tagging Site – An auction operator may apply to be registered as an approved tagging site and thereafter provide a tagging service. The requirements of an approved tagging site are available in a separate information bulletin and are available from CCIA (1-877-909-BEEF).

Approved Dealer – An auction that wishes to supply approved tags must apply to become a tag dealer. Contact the CCIA or any approved tag manufacturer



CFIA staff have the authority to carry out random checks of cattle on your premises and may request to see your records.

CCIA tags must not be removed from an animal unless the number has been retired from the CCIA database as in the case of its death.

CCIA tags must not be re-used. Avoid writing on the tag's bar code, as this will make it unreadable. Do not use tattoo ink to write on tags as it will cause the tags to curl.

There are many styles, sizes and colours of CCIA tags. All approved tags are recognizable by the registered CCIA trademark

Deadstock operators


The treatment of dead stock under the Canadian Cattle Identification Program is dealt with under section 187 of the Health of Animals Act. This information will be of interest to dead stock removers, operators of post- mortem laboratories, veterinarians and herd owners.

When an animal dies in a herd it will either be disposed of on site or removed from the site by a dead stock remover.

If the dead animal bears an approved tag the dead stock remover may remove the tag and is required to report the number of the tag to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) within 30 days. This reporting requirement also applies to the operator of a post-mortem laboratory if the carcass is disposed of on site. If the carcass is disposed of on the farm or premises where it died there is no reporting requirement. However if there was an attending veterinarian he or she is encouraged to record the tag number and report that number to the CCIA within 30 days.

If an animal dies and does not bear an approved tag it is not necessary to affix a tag to the dead animal. It is the responsibility of the dead stock remover or the operator of a post mortem laboratory to report the name and address of the owner of the animal and the date the carcass was removed.

It is important to destroy all used tags after you have recorded and reported the numbers to the CCIA.

On occasion an animal may die at or enroute to a packing plant or at a packing plant before slaughter. In such a case the plant operator is required to report the tag number to the CCIA.

Tag Retirement Template File (xls) downloadable (just like a .pdf or .doc) using I.E. 5.0 or higher and running MS Office. Right click to download to disk.

Record and report the CCIA numbers of CCIA-approved tags on cattle that you handle.

Record information about the location of untagged cattle and keep in your own records. This information does not have to be reported to CCIA.

The dead stock operator may remove the CCIA tag and return it to the dead stock depot where it may be read and reported along with all the other tags on a monthly basis.
Note:

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is an industry conceived, developed and run organization

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program makes traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems faster and more efficient, which helps keep customers buying Canadian beef and cattle.

This program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Important Guidelines for Renderers/Dead Stock Operators

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program is an industry-led initiative designed to promote beef consumption through assurance of efficient traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems. The program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

January 1, 2005
CCIA moves to RFID tags ( Radio Frequency Identification).
Bar coded tags will be grandfathered.

July 1, 2001
All cattle permanently leaving the herd of origin or any point beyond herd of origin must be tagged.

July 1, 2002
Monetary penalties will begin for non-compliance

You are required under the National Identification Regulations of the Federal Health of Animals Act to record and report any CCIA tag numbers on cattle that you handle to the CCIA within 30 days.

Record information about the location of untagged cattle and keep in your own records. This information does not have to be reported to CCIA.

The dead stock operator may remove the CCIA tag and return it to the dead stock depot where it may be read and reported along with all the other tags on a monthly basis.

Destroy used tags after you have recorded and reported the numbers to the CCIA.

There are many styles, sizes and colours of CCIA tags. Approved tags are recognizable by the registered CCIA trademark.


truckers
Encourage your customers to tag all cattle prior to permanently leaving the herd in which they are presently located.

Check with the location to which you are trucking, regarding their procedures for receiving untagged cattle.

Make note (i.e. on the manifest) in your records of untagged cattle that you transport and the tag numbers of any lost tags found on the truck.

CFIA staff have the authority to carry out random checks of cattle and may request to see your records.

Under no circumstance should a CCIA tag be removed from an animal that is already tagged.
Note:

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is an industry conceived, developed and run organization.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program makes traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems faster and more efficient, which helps keep customers buying Canadian beef and cattle.

This program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Important Guidelines for Truckers

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program is an industry-led initiative designed to promote beef consumption through assurance of efficient traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems. The program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

January 1, 2005
CCIA moves to RFID tags ( Radio Frequency Identification).
Bar coded tags will be grandfathered.

July 1, 2001
All cattle permanently leaving the herd of origin or any point beyond herd of origin must be tagged.

July 1, 2002
Monetary penalties will begin for non-compliance

NO PERSON SHALL TRANSPORT, OR CAUSE THE TRANSPORTATION OF, RECEIVE, OR CAUSE THE RECEPTION OF, AN ANIMAL THAT DOES NOT BEAR AN APPROVED TAG, except to an approved tagging site

You may apply to become an approved tagging site, and/or dealer of tags.

100% compliance is now mandatory and the 5% slippage rate is no longer in effect.

If you are an approved Tagging Facility all untagged animals must be tagged upon arrival.

CFIA staff have the authority to carry out random checks of cattle on your premises and may request to see your records.

CCIA tags must not be removed from an animal unless the number has been retired from the CCIA database as in the case of its death.

CCIA tags must not be re-used. Avoid writing on the tag's bar code, as this will make it unreadable. Do not use tattoo ink to write on tags as it will cause the tags to curl.

There are many styles, sizes and colours of CCIA tags. All approved tags are recognizable by the registered CCIA trademark

As far as the bulls go- You'll have to take my word as my boss was one of the ones that tracked them down- using the brand inspections.....They couldn't track each down to which burger box it went into- but were able to show where they had gone to slaughter

No I don,t have to take your word for it.If you have such a fine tracking system,how come you can,t produce something .