With cattle imports from Mexico underway again, new identification and documentation procedures are improving the ability of animal health officials to track livestock entering the United States. Electronic identification is playing a larger role in that process, providing more detailed records of individual animals as they move through U.S. ports of entry.
New Mexico State Veterinarian Samantha Holeck works directly with border inspectors overseeing cattle imports from Mexico. She says one of the biggest changes involves how cattle are documented after they are sorted into new groups on the American side of the border.
Previously, inspectors relied on international import paperwork that identified ranges of animal identification numbers. While cattle were individually identified, those numbers were not always recorded separately on the health certificates accompanying shipments. Holeck says electronic identification now allows officials to document every animal moving to its next destination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says improved livestock traceability is an important part of protecting animal health. Electronic identification can allow officials to locate at risk livestock in less than an hour, compared to the weeks it could previously take to track down records. That faster response can help contain potential disease outbreaks and reduce economic losses.
However, implementing the new procedures has required some adjustments. Holeck says buyers, brokers, and port managers have all had to become familiar with the additional documentation requirements.
The changes also extend to the identification tags themselves. Holeck says the new electronic tags are replacing older blue metal clips that were applied when imported cattle underwent tuberculosis testing. Those clips sometimes caused ear injuries serious enough that animals were rejected during the import process.
The electronic tags can now serve as official identification for cattle entering from eligible Mexican states under an agreement between USDA and Mexico’s animal health authorities.
Holeck says the changes have improved the accuracy of livestock records while simplifying the identification process. Although the transition has required additional coordination among everyone involved in cattle imports, the electronic system provides animal health officials with a more complete picture of where individual cattle are moving.
That information becomes especially important when officials need to respond quickly to an animal disease concern, helping them identify potentially exposed livestock and limit the spread of disease.
