States take over cattle disease tracking

The development of animal disease traceability programs will be crucial to expanding trade opportunities for America's cattle producers, according to the Washington Department of Agriculture. Dr. Scott Haskell, the assistant state veterinarian at the department, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture took a stab at creating a national program about 15 years ago. But it fell flat, largely due to the independent mindset of the country's cattlemen and -women.  "They have limitations on who they trust," Haskell said. "The federal government is not high on their list." So the USDA took a different approach by requiring each state to develop and fund its own traceability program. The first phase of that effort is nearing completion, and Haskell said that highly desirable markets in the Pacific Rim will be open to Northwest producers once the programs are fully operational. "We want China, we want Japan, we want Korea, we want Vietnam," he said. "Those are our targets, and they require complete animal traceability or they will not buy our cattle. That's a very compelling fact. If you want trade, you play the game the way the game has been written." Washington's program works by requiring health certificates for all cattle coming into or moving around the state. Cattle are identified by a variety of methods, including brands, ear tags or microchips. If a disease is found, the database created by compiling the animal health information can be used to trace the animal's path back to its origin.