Animal ID

[dancinglite]

The Americans are not too happy with the expected legislation about to come in.

stopanimalid.org/

The purpose of this system is to track animals carrying disease with a secondary benefit of making it easier to track stolen animals.

If the system works 'lost' horses could be returned or if a cow or horse is hit by a car on the HWY at night then the reponsible owner could be ID'ed.

[Vicbrenan]

I dont know what theyre crying about. I think it a good idea. I dont think that they should be charged exuberant amounts for it though. So I think as long as they keep it reasonable there should not be any problems.

[sk_pacer]

I must say, first, welcome to Orwell's 1984.

The proposed American system is unwieldy, complicated and expensive and like any gov't tracking system, is fraught with pitfalls caused by planning committees who have no concept of agriculture in general, and livestock in particular. Our own cattle tagging system was devised by the CCA (Canadian Cattlemen's Association) in conjunct with various breed associations, and stock producers groups, along with input from slaughter facilities; despite this, it is still fairly cumbersome, and costly, but no where near what the US is proposing. US costs are going to be prohibitive - breeders with large numbers of livestock (anything from llamas to cows, and all inbetween) are going to go broke 'tagging' all these animals, and the 'tagging' must be done by approved persons. The cost to the consumer is going to be exorbitant (not exuberant - that is joyful and full of life) at 30 odd bucks a pop. Our own cattle tagging system is somewhere around 1.50 per animal - a far cry from projected costs in the US.

Quite frankly, they would be better going with a mandatory brand system for horses whereby each animal is freeze branded with either its registration number, or with a designated farm brand, as cattle were done in Canada before the tagging program was instituted. All sales would have to be tracked through brand inspection/bill of sale/coggins, or as we do with Standardbreds (all horses under 5 are freeze branded) by mandatory transfer on race/brood stock, and standard bill of sale and coggins for all else; we also have options in place for horses to be slaughtered or sent to retirement before mandatory retirement age - forms to fill out stating Xxxxxxxxx is no longer to race and reg is suspended.

If one wishes to microchip on one's own, fine, but mandatory is not a wonderful idea - just another freedom gone, and we, in Canada, have allowed too many of our personal freedoms be eroded by government control...I cannot blame the Americans for fighting this; we should have fought harder to retain some of our rights and freedoms.

[Vicbrenan]

Is it microchipping that the US is trying to make mandatory? Im not sure what the big deal is, my puppy was microchipped.... I bought her for 250, she was spayed, microchipped and had a surgury for a hernia included in this.

[sk_pacer]

From what I have read and managed to decipher from all the legalese used in the documents, a 'tracking device' is to be used. What manner of device was never specified, but as this is to expand to poultry and fish as well, microchipping is likely the device of choice - one can scarcely brand a chicken or turkey, or a farmed trout.

Next step - people...and it is coming.