Cattle Industry Traceability Plan

By Gary Sliworsky
OMAF/MRA. Rep.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency has spearheaded the development of the Cattle Industry Traceability Plan for the furthering of cattle traceability in Canada. As part of the implementation, the Plan assumes that a common shipping manifest, containing key pieces of ownership and traceability information, is in place in all provinces. The manifest can be used both for commercial livestock tracking purposes as well as to contain information that may be required under future traceability regulations.
Recognizing that Ontario did not have such a manifest, an industry led group was formed to work towards developing one for the Ontario sector. The group, comprised of representatives from the Beef Farmers of Ontario; Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association; Ontario Livestock Dealers’ Association; Ontario Livestock Auction Markets’ Association; Ontario Trucking Association; and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs, collaborated to draft a manifest that contained all of the key data elements called for by the national Plan.
The manifest, now complete, contains fields for information needed for both commercial purposes as well as for information such as premises identification numbers that may be needed as part of future federal traceability requirements. Using a shipping manifest, although currently a voluntary initiative, is strongly encouraged as a smart business practice as it can be an important document in providing assurance to produces when high value assets leave the farm. If required, the manifest can provide multiple party verification in the event of a dispute regarding the number of animals shipped or received, or the type of animal etc. It can shorten response times in the event of an animal health emergency and offer proof of shipment for producers in the event of a non-payment issue.
Manifest books have been printed in sets of 25 (in triplicate) and can be accessed by contacting the Beef Farmers of Ontario office, the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association office, or by contacting Service Ontario. The manifests will be available at no cost to producers (shipping costs will apply if direct shipment to farm is requested).