De-coding the New National Beef Code of Practice
For the Canadian Beef Industry the National Code of Practice is new, but for beef producers, dealing with the environment isn’t! The first chapter of the new code looks at Animal Environment, followed by Feed and Water, Animal Health, Animal Husbandry, Transportation and Euthanasia. This makes a logical progression for explaining the industry practices to the consuming public. Some producers have been a little scared off by comments about the code such as “it’s a 60 page book!” However, if you take a look at the code, the summary of the six chapters and producer requirements fits on six pages. The rest of the book is made up of an easy to read lay out (where the producer requirements are highlighted in yellow boxes), a glossary, a list of good industry contacts, and some recommended Best Management Practices. So start at the beginning of the code and work through it one chapter at a time…
Ontario Livestock Manifest
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency has spearheaded the development of the Cattle Industry Traceability Plan for the furthering of cattle traceability in Canada. As part of the implementation, the Plan assumes that a common shipping manifest containing key pieces of ownership and traceability information is in place in all provinces. This common manifest would be used for commercial livestock tracking purposes, as well as include information that could be required under future traceability regulations.
Recognizing that Ontario does not currently have such a manifest, an industry led group was formed to develop one for the Ontario livestock sector. The group is comprised of representatives from the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, Ontario Cattle Feeders Association, Ontario Livestock Dealers Association, Ontario Livestock Auction Markets Association, and Ontario Trucking Association, as well as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs. The group has collaborated to draft a manifest that contains all of the key data elements called for by the national Plan. The manifest has been developed as a triplicate form, allowing copies to be kept by the shipper, transporter and receiver of the animals and is bound in books of 25 manifest sets. Use of the manifest is completely voluntary and the information is not required to be reported. However, the use of a common shipping manifest provides many benefits:
• it provides proof of shipment, which could prove important in the event of a non-payment;
• it provides multiple party verification in the event of a dispute regarding the number of animals shipped or received, the type of animals, etc;
• the use of a common form that can be accessed could shorten response times in the event of an animal health emergency; and
• it brings Ontario into alliance with the national Cattle Industry Traceability Plan and prepares for potential future federal traceability regulations.
The manifest is being distributed through Service Ontario at no charge (shipping charges apply). To order, contact Service Ontario at www.publications.serviceontario.ca or 1-800-668-9938 and order publication number 018681. The manifest will also be available from some auctions, dealers and producer organizations.
