Straight Talk On Tagging

The time has come for all in the dairy industry to get on board with national tagging—no excuses or exceptions.

Why and when should an animal be tagged?
All Holsteins must be tagged at birth for registration in Holstein Canada’s Herdbook, as stated in the By-laws (11.6.3). This also identifies animals for national health, quality assurance, and on- onfarm management. Moreover, animals must be tagged with
one EZE-IR or ATQ pair in each ear ...
• before data is entered in herd records, and
• before birth information is reported directly to national repositories a) Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (all provinces except Québec) and b) ATQ activation (in Québec). In spring 2006, this will occur automatically when animals are registered with Holstein Canada.

What about animal movement?
According to Health of Animals regulations, an animal (dairy or beef) cannot move off-farm or from holding area for any purpose without national, approved tags.

This means you can’t be involved in any way with transporting or receiving an animal or dead stock without tags.

What is the dairy standard for tagging?
The standard within the dairy industry remains dual/security tagging— one EZE-IR or ATQ pair in
each ear at all times. Properly tagged (RFID or bar-coded) dairy animals can then move off farm anywhere at any time.

If you rely on tagging [without sketches or photos] to identify or register animals, you must change the way you
handle identification. This involves routine replacement of lost tags to ensure uninterrupted animal identification and age verification by all service representatives and agencies.

Under the quickly expanding Canadian Quality Milk program, animals will have to be dairy tagged (including within-herd numbers) as part of an on-farm food safety program.

NLID replacement tags are issued with the same original number and, if lost through normal wear-and-tear, replaced free; this applies to all Canadian dairymen, except those in Québec.

Québec producers must contact ATQ for same-numbered replacement tags, provided at cost price.

Can I use CCIA’s beef tags for dairy animals?
No, not for dairy purposes, e.g. Herdbook, AI, milk recording. CCIA tags, designed for the beef industry, are used primarily to identify animals moving off-farm for slaughter/beef reasons.

Because a block of national tag numbers is assigned to each sector (dairy, beef, sheep, bison, etc.), they are not recognized by other industries. As well, while yellow beef tags may meet minimum health standards, they do not attain the value-added criteria for dairy and other sectors.

There may be a few sellers/ drovers/sales managers who use beef tags on animals destined for dairy purposes. However, they leave unsuspecting buyers dissatisfied and aggravated as they must 1) become
involved in identification delays and uncertainties (costly parentage verification), 2) purchase proper tags, and 3) cross-reference both numbers in herd records.

Sellers may lose sales and reputations as buyers become reluctant to purchase animals identified with beef tags only.

What if an animal dies? Can its ear tag be used on another animal?
No. Traceability efforts rely on system credibility. Each animal is assigned a unique number for life, which is printed on official, national tags. Tags bearing these numbers cannot be reused or transferred from a
live or dead animal to another for any reason.

What are the repercussions of not tagging?
If animals do not always carry one pair of tags in each ear, they may be denied service by Herdbooks, classifiers, AI, or milk recording staff.

If not in compliance and detected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which now actively enforces regulations, fines are issued. While there are $2,000 serious and $4,000 very serious violations in the ID provisions of the regulations, the specific fine for not tagging stands at $500.

Where do I position tags for lifelong retention?
Most producers experience little trouble with tag retention if tags are inserted in the recommended position with the logos facing forward. Some people may have housing issues, which require modification and/or secondary identification.

Tags are received in a row of plastic nests. In each nest are two pairs of tags for each calf (4 pieces). Either pair may be used in either ear. (Dairymen who show animals like to place the lessconspicuous button tag in the left ear. Other producers prefer the right ear for milking setups.)

Pair “A” (RFID button/tag) and pair “B” (tag/tag)

Pair A is the round CA logo-imprinted RFID button and a small numbered panel tag. The button with a raised black nub goes in the front of the ear—not the back. Here, it is protected by the curl of the ear. The panel tag with stem and metal point is placed in the rear, where it moulds with the ear.

Pair B is made up of two larger panel tags. The tag with raised black nub is CA logo-imprinted and barcoded; it goes in the front of the ear. The other panel tag goes to the back.

Buttons and panel tags are placed between the two veins in the slightly thicker part of the calf’s ear. If you look at the entire ears from the front, the RFID button and largest panel tag are positioned within the first third part of the ear from the head for protection. From the rear, you view two panels.

Producers with older barns must examine facilities carefully. Nothing should be exposed on which tags can catch, namely string, protruding nails, cuts/holes/overlays in metal sheeting, head gates, and other catch or rub points.

We must all do our part to support national tagging and traceability efforts in Canada. Let’s take pride in our country’s top-notch system, which ensures a healthy future for farmers and their families.