Legislative requirements for the identification and traceability of farm animals within the European Union.
Abstract: European Community (EC) legislation requires identification and registration of bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine animals. For intra-Community trade, bovine animals must be accompanied by a passport and the required health certificate, and identified by a tag on each ear. The principles of active identification of bovine animals (by ear tags) and of ovine, caprine and porcine animals (by ear tags or tattoos) are harmonised within the EC. International passports are issued and recognised only for registered Equidae. The life-number was introduced as an instrument to allow uninterrupted identification of Equidae using passports. The principles of issuing and recording such numbers have been outlined by the affected industries, but require official approval. Active identification of Equidae using electronic devices is not regulated by EC legislation, but research in livestock is underway.
Publication Date: 2001-09-11 PubMed ID: 11548518DOI: 10.20506/rst.20.2.1287Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article discusses the legislative requirements mandated by the European Community (EC) for the identification and traceability of different farm animals within the European Union. These regulations are aimed at ensuring the health and safety of animals, especially when involved in intra-Community trade.
Identification and Registration of Animals
- According to the European Community (EC) legislation, bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine animals must be identified and registered. This is integral to the regulation of intra-Community trade by ensuring traceability of such animals in terms of their place of origin and their health status.
- These principles of identification involve active means like affixing ear tags on bovine animals, while ovine, caprine, and porcine animals can be identified either by ear tags or tattoos. Such identification practices have been harmonised across the EC for consistency.
Passport and Health Certificate
- For trade within the EC, bovine animals are required to have a passport and health certificate. The passport provides necessary details about the animal while the health certificate confirms that the animal is free from diseases that may affect its trade or consumption.
- The ‘life-number’ feature has been introduced as a tool for identification in the passports of Equidae, a family that includes horses and related animals. This number offers an uninterrupted means of identifying the animals throughout their lifespan.
- The process of issuing and recording these life-numbers has been formulated by affected industries (such as farming and livestock) and requires official approval before implementation.
Use of Electronic Devices for Identification
- The article mentions that the use of electronic devices for actively identifying Equidae has not yet been regulated by EC legislation.
- However, lots of research is being conducted in livestock to explore the possibilities and effectiveness of such means of identification. This could possibly lead to the integration of electronic devices in the future for better and more efficient identification.
Cite This Article
APA
Ammendrup S, Füssel AE.
(2001).
Legislative requirements for the identification and traceability of farm animals within the European Union.
Rev Sci Tech, 20(2), 437-444.
https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.20.2.1287 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Unit for Animal Health, Animal Welfare and Zootechnics, Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General, Commission of the European Communities, rue de la Loi 86, 1049 Brussels, Belgium.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / legislation & jurisprudence
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animal Identification Systems / instrumentation
- Animal Identification Systems / methods
- Animal Identification Systems / veterinary
- Animals
- Animals, Domestic
- Cattle
- Databases, Factual
- European Union
- Female
- Goats
- Horses
- Legislation, Veterinary
- Male
- Sheep
- Swine
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Puspitarani GA, Fuchs R, Fuchs K, Ladinig A, Desvars-Larrive A. Network analysis of pig movement data as an epidemiological tool: an Austrian case study.. Sci Rep 2023 Jun 14;13(1):9623.
- Moretti R, Criscione A, Turri F, Bordonaro S, Marletta D, Castiglioni B, Chessa S. A 20-SNP Panel as a Tool for Genetic Authentication and Traceability of Pig Breeds.. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 24;12(11).
- Toro-Mujica P, Vera R, Vargas-Bello-Pérez E, Pinedo P, Bas F. Trends and Drivers of Change of Pastoral Beef Production Systems in a Mediterranean-Temperate Climate Zone of Chile.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Dec 12;9(12).
- Allen AR, Taylor M, McKeown B, Curry AI, Lavery JF, Mitchell A, Hartshorne D, Fries R, Skuce RA. Compilation of a panel of informative single nucleotide polymorphisms for bovine identification in the Northern Irish cattle population.. BMC Genet 2010 Jan 25;11:5.
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