Records are essential when raising animals for food production. To ensure consumer confidence
\nand maintain the marketability of meat products, livestock owners need to document the safety
\nof their product. Through effective recordkeeping, producers can strengthen consumer
\nconfidence by demonstrating tight control over potential risk factors. Recordkeeping also
\nprovides a tool for producers to monitor quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and success within
\ntheir herd management scheme. Complete, accurate livestock records also assist producers in
\nmaking management decisions regarding breeding, culling, and sale.<\/p>\n
Animal identification is essential for recordkeeping and is an integral part of animal disease
\ntraceability. All livestock should have a unique identifying number. Most breed registration
\nassociations for livestock require that animals be marked with a permanent tattoo (usually in
\ntheir ear). However, slaughter animals are unlikely to be registered with a breed association and
\nare generally identified with a unique visual number instead. Ear tagging has been a preferred
\nmethod of animal identification. However, USDA has a commitment to enhance traceability of
\ncattle and swine by encouraging the use of electronic (RFID) ear tags versus visual tags alone.
\nSome species incorporate health program compliance tags (such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or scrapie eradication tags) as their animal identification tags. For species requiring dual
\nidentification, such as cervids, dual tags or a combination of an ear tag and tattoo or microchip is
\nrequired. Accurate birth records are also essential for product testing and assuring quality to
\nconsumers. Ear notching may be an acceptable form of identification if performed on animals
\nless than two weeks of age and acceptable for regulatory agencies for that species of animal.<\/p>\n
Depending on how animals are managed, breeding dates may not be known. However, dates of
\nbirth for resulting offspring should be noted down if possible. Accurate birth records are
\nessential for age verification of slaughter animals and have a direct impact on product testing,
\nquality assurance and on legal requirements for discarding specific parts of the animal depending
\non whether the animal is of an age to be infected with specific pathogens. Herd of origin records
\nand movement documentation are also essential for tracking and eradicating important livestock
\ndiseases by identifying the origin of the disease and other animals likely exposed. Because many
\nof these diseases have long incubation periods, birthing and herd of origin records may be
\nrequired to be kept for a minimum of 5 years or the lifetime of the animal.<\/p>\n
Recordkeeping requirements, movement documentation and official USDA livestock
\nidentification to ensure animal disease traceability vary depending upon the species raised, its
\nsex\/age, whether it is entering the slaughter chain and\/or engaged in interstate transportation. The
\nfollowing regulations and Uniform Methods and Rules from the USDA\u2019s Animal and Plant
\nHealth Inspection Service (\u201cAPHIS\u201d) are applicable to most livestock farmers.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 For scrapie (goats and sheep):<\/p>\n
USDA APHIS, Scrapie Program Standards Volume 1: National Scrapie Eradication Program (2019),
\nhttps:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/animal_health\/animal_diseases\/scrapie\/downloads\/nsep-program-standards
\nfinal-rule.pdf<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 For tuberculosis:<\/p>\n
USDA APHIS, Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules (2004),
\nhttps:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/animal_health\/animal_diseases\/tuberculosis\/downloads\/tb-umr.pdf
\nNational Tuberculosis Eradication Program, USDA APHIS, https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus
\n\/animalhealth\/animal-disease-information\/cattle-disease-information\/national-tuberculosis-eradication
\nprogram (last modified Sept. 10, 2018).<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 For brucellosis:<\/p>\n
National Brucellosis Eradication Program, USDA APHIS, https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus
\n\/animalhealth\/animal-disease-information\/cattle-disease-information\/national-brucellosis-eradication (last
\nmodified Sept. 10, 2018).
\nUSDA APHIS, Brucellosis Eradication, Uniform Methods and Rules (2003), https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov
\n\/animal_health\/animal_diseases\/brucellosis\/downloads\/umr_bovine_bruc.pdf. Chapter Two of this
\ndocument specifically concerns Bovine Brucellosis.
\nUSDA APHIS, Swine Brucellosis Control\/Eradication: State-Federal-Industry Uniform Methods and Rules
\n(1998), https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/animal_health\/animal_dis_spec\/swine\/downloads\/sbruumr.pdf
\nWhat Is Swine Brucellosis, USDA APHIS, https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus\/animalhealth
\n\/animal-disease-information\/swine-disease-information\/swine-brucellosis (last modified Aug. 31, 2018)
\nUSDA APHIS, Brucellosis in Cervidae: Uniform Methods and Rules (2003), https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov
\n\/animal_health\/animal_diseases\/brucellosis\/downloads\/bcervumr.pdf
\nCervids: Bovine Brucellosis in Cervids, USDA APHIS,
\nhttps:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus\/animalhealth\/animal-disease
\ninformation\/!ut\/p\/z0\/fY7LDoIwFES_hiW5xRjUJVEDPuIaumkuUORqaaEtRP9eQmLiytXkTE4mAxxy4B
\nonuqMno1HNXPBY3KJ9yrbr6JoeDxFLst3pkm1ixtIVnIH_F
\nYFegwDT4BXRnv58pBj35ITC2ovFJUW7TtgDoUZrWhMNbqFUFOHSrQSlW9_m5qcRCcF6cbYbjkbsE
\nraiepvurA0E2kZlnaspFLGkYP-yYsPuMXIhw!!\/ (last modified Sept. 18, 2018)
\nUSDA APHIS, Animal Disease Traceability
\nhttps:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus\/animalhealth\/SA_Traceability (last modified July 9, 2019)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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