By Lori EhdeSince Mad Cow Disease surfaced in the United States in December 2003, interest in a national animal identification system has intensified.Glenn Korman, agriculture specialist with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, presented information on the national animal identification system as part of Tuesday’s County Update meeting.Korman said the ID system at this point is only voluntary, but he encouraged participation "… to protect livestock producers, eliminate disease and protect our markets," Korman said.The system would use ear tags that are electronically scanned to identify animals and provide information about where they were raised.Korman said it would allow for rapid tracing of animals during an outbreak and limit the scope and expense of the outbreak.For example, when Mad Cow Disease surfaced in Europe, millions of animals had to be destroyed, because there was no way of knowing which herds were affected.In Washington’s Mad Cow case, it was known that 32 cows were originally part of the herd that the sick cow belonged to, but only 28 of those were eventually tracked down. "We never did find the rest of them," Korman said. From a business perspective, he said the ID system might help producers with their own record keeping while at the same time giving them an edge in the market. For example, if a major consumer, such as Tyson, wants proof of where its meat comes from, it may choose to do business only with producers who are able to provide that proof."Unless you’ve identified your animal, the packer may not want your product," Korman said. "So it’s probably a good idea to get on board."That’s one reason Rock County cattle producer Pete Bakken decided to fill out and mail in a postcard from the USDA. "If I’m participating in the national animal identification system, then I’m going to have some niche marketing. Consumers may pay more for something if they know where it came from," he said.On the down side, Bakken also said he fears the system could expose him to lawsuits over harm that comes to his animals outside of his control. But he said, "I think ultimately it’s a good idea, because you’re going to have an information trail." There are methods of animal identification already in place, including old-fashioned branding, but this would be the first uniform nationwide animal ID system for all animals of any given species."The same system used in Minnesota would be recognized worldwide," Korman said.He said the proposal is backed by the major livestock organizations, such as beef and pork.Filling out the postcard is the first step in the process called "premises registration," which simply identifies where animals exist.Participating in this stage does not mean producers are obligated to participate in the next stage – tagging the animals.Producers who send in the cards can expect about a 30-day wait before numbers are issued for their sites.The animal ID tags cost $2 to $2.75.
