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Protecting beef exports is big part of traceability discussion

One of the main arguments for establishment of a nationwide cattle traceability program is to help maintain, grow and protect export markets for U.S. beef.

Thad Lively with the U.S. Meat Export Federation says the fact that the U.S. does not have a nationwide cattle traceability system is not keeping U.S. beef out of any foreign markets today. But he says, without such a system, the U.S. is vulnerable to “unforeseen developments”, such as an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

“Clearly, if we have an FMD outbreak in the U.S., we’re going to be in a lot of trouble—and I think we all know that,” Lively says. “From an export perspective, our thoughts immediately turn, under that scenario, to how quickly we’d be able to get back into the export markets.”

Without traceability, Lively says, the U.S. would be at a severe competitive disadvantage.

“That process would take us much longer than it would if we had traceability in place,” he says.

Lively says the U.S. is the only major beef exporting country in the world that does not have a nationwide traceability program.

Lively spoke with Brownfield at the recent National Institute for Animal Agriculture conference in Denver.

AUDIO: Thad Lively