Farmscape for September 11, 2006  (Episode 2242)

The Canadian Livestock Identification Agency is voicing concern over the new Canadian Integrated Traceability Program.

Last week the federal government unveiled a new 1.7 million dollar initiative designed to accelerate the development, implementation and integration of traceability systems across the Canadian meat and livestock industries.

Dennis McKerracher, the president of the Canadian Livestock Identification Agency and chair of the Canadian Pork Council traceability committee says both agencies support federal traceability initiatives but there is concern with provisions which place a priority on projects directly applicable to cattle and other ruminants and to projects related to BSE.

Clip-Dennis McKerracher-Canadian Livestock Identification Agency

The government does need to provide resources for traceability but we need some support that isn't specific to BSE but broader in scope to address the varying needs of other commodity groups.

At the Canadian Livestock Identification Agency as well as at the Canadian Pork Council we're pleased to see that this money is being targeted to pilot projects to demonstrate commercial applications as well as simulations.

We have to examine the technologies that are available for traceability systems and we have to examine them before they're implemented because we can not start implementing things that interfere with commerce or drive the costs up at the farmgate level.

We always have to be cognoscente of what is the system going to cost, how user friendly can it be and at the same time meet the needs for foreign animal disease preparedness, meet the needs to access world markets and have acceptance by our trading partners.

McKerracher notes all livestock groups recognize the importance of the BSE issue but he stresses the federal government can't lose sight of other commodities working on traceability, foreign animal disease preparedness and provincial emergency management preparedness.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council