Sheep Industry News January 2023

ASI Pilot Project Identifies Hurdles to EID at Markets

T he increasing popularity of electronic identification in the livestock industry and the global livestock market prompt ed ASI to evaluate transitioning to an electronic identifica tion system in the United States, particularly with animals moving in commerce. EID technology has been used in livestock since the late 1990s and, in some countries, has become an integral part of market sustainability programs. The where food comes from movement among consumers is pushing many large domestic meat retailers – such as Walmart and McDonalds – to require sustainability tracing for products they sell, and early adopters competing for retail space could realize a competitive edge with their ability to accommodate traceability demands. Recent concerns about economically significant foreign animal diseases, such as African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease also have countries adopting EID traceability systems in livestock. With FMD in China, Australia is moving to implement a nation wide EID system for livestock and by 2025 will require all imported wool bales to have EID technology attached. Canada, too, will require all species of livestock to have EID tags by 2025. ASI conducted a pilot project to assess auction market readiness to adopt EID technology. An EID system at the sale barn should ultimately increase the speed and accuracy of moving sheep, but whether their current operations are able to adapt to this new technology in a way that adds benefit to them and their consignors, Cindy Wolf, DVM ASI Animal Health Committee Amy Hendrickson ASI Consultant

while also meeting the needs of animal health officials during an animal disease situation, is a question. The pilot project was carried out at the Delta Sales Yard in Colorado. Using Allflex and Shearwell official EID tags, sheep were tagged on farms and ranches prior to arrival at the sale barn, and some sheep were tagged at the sale barn. The pilot project success fully revealed benefits of implementing an EID system for produc ers and the market, but also demonstrated that a one-size fits all approach is not applicable to the auction market sector. The study confirmed significant challenges to markets such as Delta should they move to implement EID technology, including that commonly available software for live animal auctions in the United States could not meet the requirements necessary to inte grate electronic ID in a marketplace setting. A market’s computer and software capabilities could be a major stumbling block for adoption of the technology. SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY & PANEL READER LOCATION Wireless internet access and Bluetooth capabilities are neces sary to convey the data from panel readers to a market’s computer system. Unfortunately, in this case, the computer system used did not have either technology, partly because the company providing the software did not wish to update its product to meet the needs of the technology. For movement recording purposes, panel readers would ideally be located where the animals are first off-loaded and tag informa

See PILOT PROJECT on Page 26

The Delta (Colo.) Sales Yard

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