Technically, yes, this is a lyric from the popular Cotton Eyed Joe tune, but beyond that it’s a question that consumers and producers are asking about the livestock cycling through various operations. There’s an increasing demand for transparency and accountability, especially in food systems, from both producers and consumers. Whether we like it or not, the days of dusty filing cabinets and handwritten records are swiftly coming to an end, as we transition to more accessible and universal systems. Entities such as the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are striving to implement a modern animal traceability system to fulfill this demand.
What is traceability? It’s the ability to track the movement and history of individual animals throughout their lives. This information includes their birth date, breed, health records, previous locations, vaccines, and any treatments or medications they have received. For consumers of animal products, this translates to confidence in where their milk or meat are coming from and how the livestock were raised. On the production side, traceability can relate directly to herd health, management, and regulatory compliance. As food systems become more globalized, the need for a standardized traceability system continues to grow.
With the growing concern of contagious, zoonotic diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1), a need for a uniform traceability system has become glaringly obvious. According to the Center for Disease Control, on March 25th the first bird flu virus was found in cows in Texas. It quickly spread to at least eight additional states, leaving state and Federal organizations scrambling to retrace the steps of the contamination. According to the USDA, continued transmission of the virus in dairy cattle points to the single spillover event in Texas through movement of cattle, people and equipment. Clearly, a national ID system would have expedited the tracking process and reduced the panic within the dairy and beef industry.
This recent event brought to light the nationwide movement of livestock through the production cycle. We know the benefits of what a standardized national traceability system can bring, but how does this translate to the real world? Change takes time, especially on this scale, however, there are many organizations and bodies pursuing this cause. For example, the USDA is leading this effort by providing tags to producers free of charge. Information on obtaining these tags can be found on the APHIS Animal Disease Traceability webpage. This is just one of many efforts towards the adoption of a universal tracking system, as there is not yet a single accepted technology to be used for the cause.
Despite the many challenges which stand in the way of a universal, accepted, and used traceability system, the industry is battling towards it. When will we get there? What will it look like, specifically? Those questions remain to be answered, but many powers are diligently working towards them.
— Hannah Jones