November 19, 2002 - In the first year since the state embarked on an electronic livestock identification pilot program in Northeast Michigan, more than 90 percent of area farmers have voluntarily incorporated this new technology and system, according to Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA).

Wyant noted that it has long been common for livestock to have individual animal identification (ID) though traditionally this has been a plastic or metal tag or tattoo. Electronic ID simply incorporates the latest technology, a tag imbedded with a radio frequency device and marked with a unique, individual number that will not be duplicated on any other animal worldwide. This tag is then linked to a database that includes information specific to that animal, including date of birth, sex, and type/species. This electronic tag dramatically speeds up the location and tracing of livestock - from farm to market - and ensures the most accurate and up-to-date information.

"This type of technology and capability is increasingly important in a global economy and represents the future of the animal agriculture industry," Wyant added. "Electronic ID will play a critical role in protecting the health of Michigan livestock, ensuring the safety of our food supply, maintaining consumer confidence in Michigan food and agricultural products, managing animal diseases and assisting farmers with data to enhance genetic improvement of their herds. We are proud to be at the forefront of this effort."

The electronic livestock ID pilot project was launched in Michigan in November of 2001 as part of the state's bovine Tuberculosis (TB) eradication plan. This project makes tags available to producers at no charge in the Northeast Lower Peninsula or those with accredited herds. To date, 432 herds, representing 17,000 individual animals, have been TB tested and tagged with electronic ID. Hand-held computers read the electronic tags and accompanying information, and allow additional data to be entered electronically, including disease testing information. Additionally, electronic tag readers have been installed in three of Michigan's major livestock markets and in five Midwest packing plants where Michigan producers send their cattle.

According to Dr. Joan Arnoldi, State Veterinarian and Director of MDA's Animal Industry Division, Michigan was picked as a pilot state for the electronic ID program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services due to its ongoing bovine TB eradication efforts. The federal agency granted the state $1.3 million to develop and implement the identification program. Currently, only a handful of other states, Canada, and a few European countries are utilizing electronic ID on a regular basis.

"Through this system, Michigan has been able to make advances on several fronts, including improving the state's TB situation," Arnoldi said. "Besides providing further assurance to USDA, other states and our trading partners that Michigan cattle have been properly tested and moved, electronic ID has also helped ease the burden on and speed up response time for the state's livestock producers and has allowed trace backs and forwards to be done in hours rather than days or weeks, which is critical in any animal disease situation."

The program is tied into the nationwide National Farm Identification Records Program maintained by the Holstein Association USA, Inc. and the USDA's Generic Database system to ensure accurate individual animal identification and tracking and coordination of TB test results and herd status.

The electronic ID system and database also play a key role in the issuance of movement permits that are currently required in Northeast Michigan. Producers will soon be able to enter an animal's electronic identification number into the state's web-based system and quickly verify whether all testing requirements have been met. If so, the permit is granted and they can then choose to print the permit, or receive it by fax or mail.

Immediate plans for electronic ID in Michigan include tagging another 18,000 animals, and installing readers at one more market in the state and three other packing plants in the Midwest.

For more information or to view the electronic ID system firsthand, contact Kevin Kirk, MDA's Electronic Identification Coordinator, at 517/241-4339 or via e-mail at kirkk@michigan.gov, or Sara Linsmeier-Wurfel, MDA Public Information Officer, at 517/373-1104 or mda-info@michigan.gov.