TRACEABILITY: BEYOND THE TAG

Any farmer who thinks that a tag in the ear represents a traceability system for a beef herd is far off the mark; it simply links the animal to a production unit. A farm or feedlot should have good management practices across the entire production system, writes Dr. Danie Odendaal, a veterinary herd health consultant and director of Veterinarian Network

- Dr. Danie Odendaal

Traceability involves more than simply identifying animals and keeping track of a particular livestock unit throughout the value chain. It entails a complete herd management system that includes the sustainable use of natural resources; a program to ensure the health, welfare and safety of the animals and animal products produced and sold; animal recording and breeding according to genetic potential for optimal production under given environmental conditions;and sound record-keeping to prove compliance with good management practices.

I was provided with the ideal opportunity to put these guidelines into practice when asked in 2018 by Tommie van Zyl, CEO of ZZ2, to develop and implement such a comprehensive system for its beef cattle division. ZZ2 employs a systems approach to every production unit of its farming business, but it's beef cattle division at the time lacked such an approach. These systems are generally well developed in intensive animal production (pig and poultry production), but not in most extensive production units such as beef cattle production.

I worked with Fanie Potgieter, manager of ZZ2’s cattle division, and our overall goal was to ensure that this system served as a model for the entire beef industry. Our first priority was to synchronize the 12-month production cycle of the cattle with the 12-month environmental cycle, as the start of the project coincided with the end of a severe drought in Limpopo. At the time, the herd was calving throughout the year, which made planning impossible.