October 8, 2010

Age, source verification needed for US cattle exports

US producers who plan to sell their cattle for overseas markets need to be able to verify the age and source of their cattle, and that verification needs to be done by a third party, says Karl Hoppe, Extension Service area livestock specialist at North Dakota State University's Carrington Research Extension Centre.

"Weaning time this fall is a good opportunity for producers to enroll in an age- and source-verification programme," he adds. "While calves are being processed for health issues, an approved third party-certified electronic ear tag can be placed in cattle."

One of the first verification programmes was the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association's CalfAID programme. The North Dakota Agriculture Department recently launched the North Dakota Verified Livestock programme, which verifies age and source for feed yards.

Producers who enroll in a programme complete training to help them understand the programme's requirements. Most programmes also require producers to place an electronic identification (EID) ear tag on their animals.

Feedlots also need to be enrolled in a third-party verification programme if they are feeding cattle for markets that require age and source verification.

As an incentive, meat packing plants may pay cattle feeders a premium at slaughter for cattle that are age and source verified. Premiums are ranging from US$2 to US$3 per hundredweight, according to Tim Petry, NDSU Extension livestock marketing economist.

"To receive a premium, fed cattle must be verified as 20 months of age or younger and delivered to select packing plants on days when age-verified cattle are slaughtered," Petry says.

"While electronic identification tags and source verification don't guarantee a premium at market time, it might open market access that can lead to returns in future calf sales," Hoppe says.

In general, US cattle producers face stricter regulations if they plan to market their beef overseas. For example, Japan won't accept cattle for slaughter more than 20 months old, and Korea won't take cattle more than 30 months old. Other countries also want to know the source of the meat they import.