Celso Alvarez attaches an identification tag to a cow at the George DeRuyter & Sons Dairy in early November 2009. The tags contain a wealth of information that allow the cow to be identified and tracked throughout its life.CLONCURRY, Australia -- Dust billows in the sun-drenched sky as 600 cattle charge through the chute. They act as one, a writhing mass of legs and hooves. Flies swarm in their wake, and ranchers stand on alert, ready to jump into the fray if needed.
As each animal passes, its ear tag transmits data that's entered into a national database, allowing authorities to track each animal from birth to death.
In a global economy, where mad cow, hoof and mouth and other diseases can crush a market overnight, the ability to track cattle can be crucial.
In Australia, where 65 percent of all beef is exported, it's especially critical.
"It gives us lifelong traceability," said Ray Campbell, who owns a 26,000-acre cattle operation in Cloncurry. "It gives us the edge in the world market. Australian beef is known as clean and green."
In the United States -- where discovery of a single case of mad cow disease at a Mabton dairy in December 2003 prompted Japan, Korea and others to ban U.S. beef imports for more than a year -- some see the Australian system as worth replicating.
Since 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been attempting to develop a program similar to Australia's.
But not everyone likes what the USDA has been proposing. .........read the rest of the Yakima-Herald Republic article.
