Agricultural News
Dr Rosslyn Biggs Says There Are Lots of Moving Parts and Interested Parties in the Animal ID Discussion
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 15:25:27 CDT
Having worked in both the public and private sector, Oklahoma State University's College of Veterinary Medicine's Dr. Rosslyn Biggs has a lot of perspective on the subject of animal disease traceability and the question of animal ID. In a recent conversation with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, she explained that for producers, it is important they understand they are not the only ones interested nor impacted by animal ID. Dr. Biggs says it goes well beyond the farm or ranch gate.
"We've got multiple segments of the industry that are impacted by animal disease traceability. Multiple facets that we've got to consider," she said, including things like the investment in technology and consumer demands. "We have to pay attention to where our export markets are guiding us to, to maintain those should we have an animal disease incursion occur here in the US. We need to be able to respond quickly and know where those animals are, where they've been and what they've been exposed to to try and stamp out disease as quickly as we can and rebound from that both domestically and internationally."
Dr. Biggs says it comes as little surprise to see the USDA putting a hold on its announced plans to replace metal tags with electronic IDs, a decision outlined in a recent statement issued by the agency. However, she explains that the interest is still very much there and validated for a variety of reasons.
"I think from the animal health perspective it has to do with that ability to respond and trace that animal quickly- as well as the inputs that go into it," she said. "Those kind of technologies really get us to the point we need to be, should we have a foreign animal disease here in the US."
Listen to Biggs and Hays' full discussion 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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