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I have always been led to believe R-Calf is responsible for killing M'ID?

NCBA seeks voluntary animal traceback system

Despite McDonald's Corporation, the largest U.S. beef buyer, calling for a national animal traceback system, beef industry leaders oppose any mandatory measure.

On Friday, Gary Johnson, senior director worldwide supply chain management at McDonald's Corp., said traceback of beef to cattle is the foundation of the food industry, which depends totally on the trust of consumers for its future operations, according to the Dow Jones newswire.

Animal traceability is the most important thing the cattle industry can do to earn and keep the trust of consumers, Johnson said during a speech at the World Meat Congress in Australia.
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Because of its purchasing power, the worldwide restaurant chain's call for a traceback system could carry a lot of weight.

Johnson's comments didn't include whether the system should be mandatory or voluntary for producers.

In the event of an animal disease outbreak such as BSE, or "mad cow disease," the government would be able to use the traceback system to find any infected animals.

There seems to be widespread agreement within the livestock industry that a traceback system is needed. The issue of whether the government or private industry should oversee the program ois what concerns producers.

Mike John, National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) president, agrees a traceback system is needed, but remains opposed to a mandatory program.

John argues that if the government intervenes on this traceback issue, the data becomes government property and producers lose control and confidentiality.

"Transaction codes and data from cattle movement events can be put into a system where the government can get to them for disease surveillance. All these things are already available; it's just a matter of choosing the right one for your operation."

Because of current private industry solutions that meet the requirements McDonalds is looking for, John said any traceback system should be voluntary. If anything, the market should drive involvement in this traceback system.

"If producers invest in the system because there is a return to them, they will purchase the tags, they will pay the fees associated with participating with private industry programs," John said.

John pointed out that McDonald's Corporation's request is nothing new.

"As an industry, we have been working for years on a system that will allow us to track the movement of animals within 48 hours of a discovered illness, says John, a Missouri cattleman.

When asked, John still believes the industry should monitor the surveillance program not the government.

"We know the industry still has a problem, as far as managing this surveillance program, because there isn't technology for common use that allows this information to be gathered at the speed of commerce."

However, John said, "The market needs to drive this traceback effort in order to keep producers' costs low and to keep them participating for the right reasons."

Meanwhile, USDA has issued "premise-ID" registrations to 12% of the U.S. livestock premises. Dr. John Weimers, USDA's National ID spokesman, said the voluntary-based program is progressing.

"We're encouraged by the progress. Once the premise registrations are out, it will make it much easier for a national ID system to work."
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