Tyson to invest in U.S. CattleTrace program
Apr. 29—Tyson Foods said last week that it will support a cattle disease tracking program called U.S. CattleTrace.
Tyson, based in Springdale, Arkansas, is the first beef processor to invest in membership in the program, which is expected to assist animal health officials with an effective and quick disease response within the U.S. cattle herd in the event of a foreign animal disease occurring in the United States.
"Animal health and disease traceability are critical issues for the meat industry and we're hopeful our involvement will help advance industry efforts to implement this program across the country," Shane Miller, group president, Tyson Fresh Meats, said in a statement. "We believe CattleTrace can help to reduce the risk that animal disease poses to the U.S. cattle supply, while also protecting our industry's access to important export markets, which can quickly be compromised in the event of an animal health issue."
U.S. CattleTrace uses ear tags that contain ultrahigh frequency technologies to collect the data necessary, including an individual animal identification number, a GPS location, and date and time. The information is used to track animals in the event of a disease outbreak and allows tracking of the animal from location of birth and to each location before reaching a processor.
In 2018, a partnership between Kansas State University, the Kansas Livestock Association, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and individual producer stakeholders launched the CattleTrace Inc. pilot project.
