May 14, 2005

US livestock tracking system to be running by 2009

US authorities trying to limit mad cow and other disease outbreaks would be able to pinpoint a single animal among the nation's 9 billion cows, pigs and chickens under a mandatory tracking system the government proposed on Thursday.

Under the plan, cattle would be identified individually with tags or other devices. There are high-tech ways to monitor their movements, such as using radio-frequency ear tags, retinal scans of their eyes or even DNA testing. Hogs and poultry could be registered in groups because that typically is how they move through the chain of production.

The proposed timeline is for states to be capable of registering ranches, feed lots, livestock barns, packing plants and other facilities by July of this year. Those premises would be required to register by January 2008, and mandatory reporting of livestock movement would begin one year later.

The livestock industry has estimated it could cost US$550 million over five years and it is still being decided whether individual states or the Agriculture Department will bear the full costs.