August 11, 2006

US cattle group to launch certification programme to boost exports
 

A new cattle-certification programme would be launched to help cattle producers in the US state of Colorado to tap overseas market opportunities, especially that in Japan and South Korea, the Colorado Cattlemen's Association announced Wednesday (Aug 9).

The initiative aims to help producers meet certification rules made in response to previous outbreaks of mad cow disease, the association said.

The certification process, developed by Castle Rock- based IMI Global, would require ranchers to keep specific records and individually identify cows through ear tags to verify source and age.

The initiative could draw as many as 40 percent of the association's 2,500 members, said Terry Frankhauser, the group's executive vice president, adding that demand for such cattle would exceed supply. Certified beef could command as much as a 7 percent premium, Frankhauser said. 

Other states, including Wyoming and Missouri, have implemented similar programmes, he added.