On one hand, a government-operated system could shield producers from profit-taking through subscriptions or transaction fees. On the other hand, such a system would mean government control of data and could be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. And the fees collected through a private system could be used to fund the program.

　　There’s also the issue of technology. Traceability can be accomplished in a number of ways, and USDA has not pledged a preference for any particular kind. Speer admitted that will be a major hurdle for the concept to overcome, but said he “would like to think our industry will evolve toward something and self-organize and figure that out over time.”

　　One way the industry could figure that out would be through the use of pilot projects like what is currently underway in Kansas. There, 55,000 high frequency electronic ID tags are being deployed with the intent of tracking three main data points: tag number of the animal, the location where the ID detection took place, and the date and time of reading. Matt Teagarden, the CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association, said the fact that all aspects of the beef production system exist in Kansas and that the state is such a big player in the industry made it a good candidate for a trial run.

　　“We think this will be a great test for the infrastructure that will be part of the project,” he said. “It’s being designed to be scalable not only to the cattle in Kansas but potentially broader outside of Kansas, outside the country. Our intent is that the system could accommodate the entire industry.”

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　　“If we can prove that we can effectively track these cattle, we’ll learn what the costs are, we’ll also learn what other benefits can accrue to producers because of the traceability infrastructure,” Teagarden added. “Our hope is that we can get significant buy-in from the industry, not just in Kansas but across the country, to where we wouldn’t necessarily have to mandate traceability to get an effective system put in place.”

　　That, Teagarden admits, is optimistic. And if a “critical mass” of producers don’t participate, Speer said the nationwide animal health advantages lose their effectiveness. Nevertheless, he thinks USDA’s push “represents a tipping point” and will take the initiative further than previous attempts.

　　Sheep industry frustrated

　　And while many in the beef cattle sector saw last week’s announcement as a signal to their industry, the sheep industry is worried their producers will be collateral damage in a cost-saving measure to expand traceability.

　　At the bottom of that press release, USDA announced it was “ending the free metal tags program and instead offering a cost-share for electronic tags.” A cost-share program for beef producers is one thing, but peter Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association, said the value proposition is more challenging for sheep producers.

　　“With a $150 ewe, how much can you afford to spend on a tag?” he said. While USDA is looking to move toward electronic ID for animals, he said the metal tags were satisfactory for sheep producers. The tags were used as part of the effort to eradicate scrapie, which USDA calls “a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats.”

　　USDA provided the tags, and producers provided the labor to attach them and the recordkeeping to track them.

　　“It is the most aggressive program in the world; It’s the most successful program in the world,” he said. “And a lot of that is because of our assistance to producers with ID tags and ID recordkeeping.”

　　Orwick said USDA had previously cited budget issues and planned to limit the number of available tags before deciding to end the program altogether. He said ASIA plans to appeal to USDA as well as congressional appropriators to address the financial issues.

　　The EU endeavors to advocate Farm to Table movement on European Beef and Lamb.Food safety is ensured by EU legal system of animal and identification, allowing transparency along the supply chain.

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