Traceability in the EU

While I don’t claim to understand the subtle differences in the traceability systems in each of the European Union countries nor did I have the time on this trip to dive in to get that much detail.  I have come away from this trip with a better understanding of the system as a whole and a good understanding of the Irish, UK and French methods.  

The ear tags are all similar, produced by Allflex and 2 tags in each animal are required.  The tags are individually numbered and includes a herd identification component.  Some countries use barcodes, electronic identification (EID) is not mandatory but is available to be used for on-farm management.  The places without barcoded tags or in the cases of the older cows in those areas, use pen and paper to keep records, the number has to be read and recorded by a person and then entered into the electronic system.  EID systems are coming but the exact date is yet to be determined.  A backgrounder that I spoke to is looking forward to that day so they can keep their own records electronically based on the EID number.  They would apply an EID tag now of their own but they can not justify the cost when they only have the cows on farm for something around 100 days.

The tags are produced by Allflex and most often in the production facility in Vitre, about 2 hours west of Paris by train.  Orders are submitted each day by the regional department of agriculture (for French producers) and tags are custom made for each producer or as a replacement tag when one is lost.  The system is efficient and has many checks and balances in place to ensure accuracy and quality in the products.  I was fascinated to see how the tags are actually manufactured from start to finish under one roof and the speed at which production happens.    

Each time an animal is sold and therefore moved from one operation to another it is recorded in the national database, either through a paper based passport system as in the United Kingdom or electronically as in Ireland.  The processor in Northern Ireland that I visited tells me that data entry errors and tags being listed as what we would call retired are seldom and if they occur the information is verified and the problem corrected before the animal is allowed to be processed.  The information stays with the carcass as it did in Australia and each quarter is tagged with all the animal information including producer, breed and country of origin data.  

All meat sold in the stores is labelled with country of origin information on them.  It clearly states where the animal was born, raised and processed.  In France, all restaurants are now required to have written country of origin information on beef cuts available to patrons.  In the case of the restaurant at the hotel in Bourges where we stayed,  there was a notation on the menu that the information was available so I went to find it and had no trouble.  They had it on paper in a stand near the entrance.

Required French National ID tag and Charolais Herd Book tag

In France registered Charolais animals are also required to have a tissue sample taken and they use a method which leaves a green tag in their ear.  In Ireland, all national tags are tissue sampling tags and their goal is to have DNA tissue samples on all animals registered and commercial on file.

Example of Country of Origin information from restaurant 

Producers seem to accept the system as it is,  the level of regulation is so high that perhaps it is just one more piece to that puzzle.  Beef operations for the most part are smaller holdings, cattle are handled often and if not sold to the feeding industry in Italy then are kept at home and finished by the cow/calf producer themselves.  Reading tags by hand isn’t a hassle.  The data management system is government run in each country and the interface for the producer or processor is quick and easy to use.  

No system in perfect and no two system can be exactly the same.  There were many positive things that I have seen in the European traceability system.  The databases are extensive and it will be interesting to see how the industry can use that data to improve going forward.  Sharing of information is also a key piece of the traceability puzzle and will become more important as traceability expands into other aspects beyond the live animal to increase transparency, marketing opportunities and food safety.  Hans Johr from Nestle said it well on Sunday “We should all work together to ensure there are no more food scandals.”