The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are providing more than $1 million to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) to help Saskatchewan livestock producers with age verification and other traceability initiatives.

This funding will help the CCIA open a new satellite office in Saskatoon and employ three producer support representatives across the province, including Yorkton.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is an industry-initiated organization that manages the Canadian Livestock Tracking System. This trace-back system is designed to contain and eradicate animal disease. Established in 1998, the CCIA has developed the only mandatory national traceability program for the cattle industry and works with the federal Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure food safety within the Canadian cattle industry.

Since 2002, more than 35 million unique numbers have been allocated, making the program one of the most comprehensive national animal identification systems in the world. A strong traceability system will help Canadian producers get the premium international prices they deserve. This investment is part of the federal government’s goal of a national traceability system for livestock by 2011.

The three producer support representatives will be stationed across Saskatchewan and are responsible for travelling throughout their region of the province. They will network with producers, auction markets, industry groups and government to ensure CCIA services are available for all industry stakeholders. Having these CCIA representatives in the field will assist our producers to participate in a voluntary livestock traceability system.

The new CCIA representatives will act as liaisons with industry and staff for the purpose of increasing awareness of CCIA programs and technologies. They will be available to assist with the use and selection of Radio Frequency Identification readers and software and help with value-added programs that include age verification. In addition, they will help organize and facilitate producer meetings and ensure ongoing producer education.

The new field representative in Yorkton is Dee Valstar, who can be contacted at 306-621-0508 or by fax at 1-877-427-4173. This investment was made through Growing Forward, the federal-provincial-territorial initiative created to help Canadian farmers achieve real results through programs that are simple, more effective and tailored to local needs.

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