DECEMBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Fair boards encouraged to sign up for Premises ID BC Fairs delegates learn how new federal traceability regulations will impact them


by BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER


VICTORIA – Livestock producers have heard about the importance of registering their farms for premises identification (PID) in the event of a disaster, such as the recent wildfires, so that livestock locations can be quickly identified. But fairgrounds? “Even fairgrounds will need premises ID numbers,” says Anders Hopperstead, the Premises ID GIS analyst for the BC Ministry of Agriculture, speaking at the BC Fairs Conference in Victoria in October.


Hopperstead demonstrated how easy it is to apply online for a Premises ID number by doing it onscreen in less than ten minutes for a real-life BC fair, just with the address and some other details provided by a fair manager in the audience. Although some fairgrounds have applied for Premises ID, to be ready for upcoming federal traceability regulations, there are quite a few more that need to register. A paper option is also available. A ‘premises’ is a parcel of land where animals


are grown or kept, assembled, moved to or from, or disposed of. A PID is a unique identifier that can be used to quickly link livestock and poultry to land locations.


The importance of PID in a traceability system was also emphasized by Hopperstead, who cited the rapid notification of disease threats, assistance with livestock tracking to effectively manage animal disease outbreaks, facilitate rapid evacuations, facilitate disease control measures and reduce the impact of marketing restrictions. Although it may be unlikely that an emergency or disease outbreak occurs during a fair, the livestock


and poultry barns at any fairgrounds may be used as emergency muster locations in the case of fires, floods or other disasters. Fairgrounds are also commingling sites during livestock shows and sales, where livestock from different parts of the province – or even of the country – could be exposed to diseases during transportation or while in the barns and the show pens which they could take back to their home farms. If an outbreak occurs and a traceability system is


in place, the source of the disease could be traced back to the point of exposure using the combination of animal ID, movement reporting and PID.


LINDSAY BARTKO FILE PHOTO


The livestock industry has already set up national identification programs with approved identifiers to satisfy the animal ID component of traceability. Cattle have radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled ear tags to speed up tag reading and reporting of tag numbers during animal movements. Sheep have RFID and non-RFID ear tags. Pigs have ear tags, slap tattoos and sub-cutaneous microchip implant options. Provincial governments are responsible for


PID, and all provinces now have systems in place to issue PID numbers. The movement reporting for traceability of


livestock is a federal responsibility and is the last piece of the puzzle. Changes to regulations will require a PID be in place so animals can be moved in or out, since movements need to be reported to a database managed by a responsible administrator that will require geo- co-ordinates for accurate location reporting. The movement manifests will incorporate what is currently done in provinces that have them (BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle) to reduce duplication and confusion. Any type of manifest could be used, provided it collects the information required for reporting. Once livestock arrive at the fair, their movements into the fairgrounds will need to be reported by the fair to the responsible administrator listed on the CFIA website. Draft regulations propose that this be done within seven days of arriving at the fair. For cattle, bison, sheep and goats, this is the


Canadian Cattle Identification Agency and for pigs, it is the Canadian Pork Council. Federal traceability regulations are expected to be in force by late 2018 or early 2019.


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