Animal Identification

[livestock-id]

Hello Everyone,

Just to let everyone one know about Livestock-ID Blog. http://livestock-id.blogspot.com

This is a blog dedicated to livestock producers, helping with Animal Identification. From RFID Readers and Tags, to Cattle Management Software. Everything from A-Z concerning Animal Identification.

 

[Silver]

Hello Everyone,

Just to let everyone one know about Livestock-ID Blog. http://livestock-id.blogspot.com

This is a blog dedicated to livestock producers, helping with Animal Identification. From RFID Readers and Tags, to Cattle Management Software. Everything from A-Z concerning Animal Identification.

What about branding irons?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Silver, I have often wondered the same thing. Pretty good retention with brands. Individual ID would take a few more irons but could be done also.
Brands would be cost effective for the producer also.

Probably not as good for the economy though, tag sales and readers and applicators and all the other paraphenalia.

 

[hillsdown]

Canada will never ever rely on brands ,it is just not feasible. The next thing to be implemented will be rfid skin implants or bolus's . It will be mandatory within the next 5 years according to some info my vet received regarding new regs.


Also, I though the supreme court of Canada ruled that branding is not indicative of ownership therefore it is disregarded. (???)

 

[Anonymous]

Also, I though the supreme court of Canada ruled that branding is not indicative of ownership therefore it is disregarded. (???)

OH- if only true--- and I was a little younger--I know area where with a fast horse- big trailer- and long rope- and a guy could make a pretty good living :wink: .....

Unless they can come up with a lot of refinements to the eid/rfid stuff I don't seen anything in the near future being accepted down here for ownership.....

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Canada will never ever rely on brands ,it is just not feasible. The next thing to be implemented will be rfid skin implants or bolus's . It will be mandatory within the next 5 years according to some info my vet received regarding new regs.


Also, I though the supreme court of Canada ruled that branding is not indicative of ownership therefore it is disregarded. (???)

My vet said more regs are coming also. Trying to keep pace with regs in some European countries I guess.

As far as proof of ownership, why to we have brand inspectors if a brand is not indicative of ownership.

What is indicative of ownership? RFID tags? Possession?

 

[leanin' H]

Canada will never ever rely on brands ,it is just not feasible. The next thing to be implemented will be rfid skin implants or bolus's . It will be mandatory within the next 5 years according to some info my vet received regarding new regs.


Also, I though the supreme court of Canada ruled that branding is not indicative of ownership therefore it is disregarded. (???)

My vet said more regs are coming also. Trying to keep pace with regs in some European countries I guess.

As far as proof of ownership, why to we have brand inspectors if a brand is not indicative of ownership.

What is indicative of ownership? RFID tags? Possession?

What the Government tells you! That is what this is about! :roll: Hot brands have only worked for more than a century along with registered ear marks. But that must be too old fashioned or cruel for some folks! :roll: It comes down to producers and auctions and buyers and feedlots and packers working with each other instead of against. RFID wont work either with crooks. Like steriods in sports, somebody will beat whatever system they think up. Like a locked gate only keeps out honest people. :roll: A hot brand works! Atleast for over 100 years.

 

[mrj]

Sure a hot brand 'works'.....as long as people are honest, or there are enough honest brand inspectors, investigators, and judges to return stolen 'goods', or the value thereof to rightfull owners.

Branding has worked well for this ranch for over 118 years, and five generations and we hope it will in the future.......but we aren't betting the ranch on it! And it isn't adequate for age and source verification, so we do use ID that is.

But.........many buyers want more information than is possible with a simple brand. Information returns value to the various owners of the cattle.

Branding is not universal, even in the USA.

Duplication of brand and location on an animal is possible in another state across the nation.

There there is the question of "cruelty". That one certainly is in the minds of those fighting against any use of animals and will only grow as a so called strike against cattle production.

Every time HSUS achieves one goal, such as laws against conventional animal husbandry practices commonly used for animal health reasons and efficiency of operations, you can bet they will find other 'reasons' for additional controls to limit production and use of animals.

mrj

 

[leanin' H]

Every argument you made against a hot brand is also true with any other method. :wink: Folks that want to cheat WILL! If you cant slap a hot brand on a calf because it's cruel, what makes you think punching holes in ears for RFID tags isnt? Or going against a bovines free will and implanting a tracking device? :roll: Common sense ought to win out against HSUS and PETA don't ya think! Or we could run scared and let them keep running us out of buisness! :? PETA and HSUS don't want you or I to raise stock period! All this other stuff is just a means to an end of total animal rights. So we simply say no way in hell now and quit pretending that by going along with their small ideas they will go away.

 

[Soapweed]

Every argument you made against a hot brand is also true with any other method. :wink: Folks that want to cheat WILL! If you cant slap a hot brand on a calf because it's cruel, what makes you think punching holes in ears for RFID tags isnt? Or going against a bovines free will and implanting a tracking device? :roll: Common sense ought to win out against HSUS and PETA don't ya think! Or we could run scared and let them keep running us out of buisness! :? PETA and HSUS don't want you or I to raise stock period! All this other stuff is just a means to an end of total animal rights. So we simply say no way in hell now and quit pretending that by going along with their small ideas they will go away.

What about all the tattoos and dangly dingaling things that people subject themselves to wearing. There was darn sure pain involved getting those installed, not to mention the pain that innocent bystanders go through to have to look at that stuff. :?

 

[leanin' H]

Every argument you made against a hot brand is also true with any other method. :wink: Folks that want to cheat WILL! If you cant slap a hot brand on a calf because it's cruel, what makes you think punching holes in ears for RFID tags isnt? Or going against a bovines free will and implanting a tracking device? :roll: Common sense ought to win out against HSUS and PETA don't ya think! Or we could run scared and let them keep running us out of buisness! :? PETA and HSUS don't want you or I to raise stock period! All this other stuff is just a means to an end of total animal rights. So we simply say no way in hell now and quit pretending that by going along with their small ideas they will go away.

What about all the tattoos and dangly dingaling things that people subject themselves to wearing. There was darn sure pain involved getting those installed, not to mention the pain that innocent bystanders go through to have to look at that stuff. :?

AMEN>
:agree:

 

[lonewolvie]

You think that only animals loose that stuff, those body peicers loose their "tags" in much the same ways.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

What about all the tattoos and dangly dingaling things that people subject themselves to wearing. There was darn sure pain involved getting those installed, not to mention the pain that innocent bystanders go through to have to look at that stuff. :?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

mrj, here RFID is mandatory on calves and any animal that leaves a premise. And also mandatory, premises ID. With out a premise ID it is illegal to house, hold, or have on your property domesticated livestock of any kind!

And tracking of animal movement is only going to be regulated further. Working to meet regs in European trading partner countries.

One thing that has not been answered to date is enforcement and under what authority. Provincial regs, not country wide yet.

What to do? Go along however we like, but go along nonetheless.

It's great for job creation. It has done nothing for the value of what we produce yet. No one I know has ever received any data back on their cattle other than what they could get already with carcass data on rail graded cattle.

It is definitely costing producers. I must admit to being less than optimistic that producers will ever benefit. Hopefully I am proved wrong, the sooner the better.

 

[livestock-id]

mrj, here RFID is mandatory on calves and any animal that leaves a premise. And also mandatory, premises ID. With out a premise ID it is illegal to house, hold, or have on your property domesticated livestock of any kind!

And tracking of animal movement is only going to be regulated further. Working to meet regs in European trading partner countries.

One thing that has not been answered to date is enforcement and under what authority. Provincial regs, not country wide yet.

What to do? Go along however we like, but go along nonetheless.

It's great for job creation. It has done nothing for the value of what we produce yet. No one I know has ever received any data back on their cattle other than what they could get already with carcass data on rail graded cattle.

It is definitely costing producers. I must admit to being less than optimistic that producers will ever benefit. Hopefully I am proved wrong, the sooner the better.

Dylan raised some good points, and so did everyone else.
At the moment, it is RFID identification, is pushed by government regulations, which directly come from import standards in Europe. Eventually in order to export livestock, it will have to have the RFID tag, when it leaves it's premises, as it does now in Canada. Japan, has been putting more weight on the subject lately.

On another note. As for the kids walking around with Tattoo's, body piercings etc. I agree it's an eye sore. But this could be the future.
Very funny video of a guy with a pierced cattle tag.

Come on kids....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lvUX4_egLA

All the best.

 

[mrj]

For the record, my points were not against branding so much as to point out that there are problems with branding....even that it does not STOP theft.....which, in the past, has been successful for some in years past, even in SD, home of many die-hard, never, ever, any other way 'branders'.

We have been fortunate here in not losing cattle that were branded, and we always brand, even cattle we buy, but it just isn't the only ID that is fool proof, as some would have us believe.

Soapweed, leave it to you to bring in welcome levity! I fear for the health of people with many piercings.......and for my own, to the point I will refuse service in a restaurant by someone wearing nose piercings, and ask for another waiter. That absolutely looks unsanitary, as well as gross!

mrj

 

[Dylan Biggs]

mrj,

I didn't interpret your comments as anti branding, My argument (not really an argument as much as an alternative ID system) was to point out that branding is a practical, traditional, low cost, high retention, permanent approach. I do understand that it may not serve as individual ID from a practical standpoint and the regional brand individuality. So not really an alternative but I guarantee that when and if CFIA or USDA ever need to track down the origin of an animal that just may loose a tag, if the animal has a brand it will come in very handy to assist them in tracking the birth place of the animal.

A brand, imagine that!

Now another issue that you raise which is very real is the reality that hot iron, and or freeze branding will be outlawed in the not to distant future in response to humane concerns from the public, as well as surgical castration, and de-horning, without local anesthetic.

I am not opposed to adding value to livestock by adopting management practices that consumers will pay me for.

What bothers me is legislation that forces management practices that cost producers and don't appear to actually give the producer anything back in return. And currently that is the reality we face as producers in Alberta as far as I can gather, if someone can give me proof to the contrary, that would be great.