Agricultural News
United States One Step Ahead of China When It Comes to Addressing Traceability Concerns
Wed, 31 May 2017 10:50:38 CDT
While technical negotiations wrap up between the United States and China regarding the protocols necessary for the exportation of beef, we are figuring out that American producers have one program already in place that can be used to address traceability concerns harbored by China's government. Beef Cattle Specialist Gant Mourer described to Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays recently, an age and source verification program used once before when Japan required younger cattle from the US, on fears of BSE in older carcasses. He says this could be easily rolled out once again to serve our new Chinese customers.
"Age and source verification was an extremely hot commodity," he said, explaining that the program eventually went by the wayside after Japan began accepting older cattle later on. "That may be the future of one traceability element - is to age and source verify those animals again."
Mourer says that it is difficult to determine what premiums such beef would bring, but he recalls prior cases of it demanding $4 to $5 per cwt. While this presents perhaps a great opportunity for producers, it would be an easy process to implement, too, with the infrastructure already established and many cattlemen familiar with it already.
"Really, if a producer wants to get involved in that," Mourer said, "they can call the Oklahoma Department of Ag and get a premise ID for their cattle. They can also use a phone audit, which is actually very simple to do to audit those calves with the age and source verification."
Listen to Mourer and Hays discuss the age and source verification program more in depth and how it could potentially help with the transition of supplying US beef to China, on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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