Full lifetime cattle traceability is now a given for cattle on the island of Ireland and being able to offer this makes Irish beef somewhat unique, as this traceability doesn’t happen in other major beef exporters in the world, with the exception of Uruguay.

However, it has emerged that China - the world’s biggest beef importer - has flagged that full lifetime traceability will be a requirement for beef imported from Brazil at some point in the future.

This emerged during a technical visit by Chinese officials last December and was reported by the world beef report this week.

If China follows through with this, it is logical that the same standard should be required for all its imported beef and that would present a huge challenge to its other major suppliers, including the US, Australia and Argentina.

Of course, if the suspension on beef imports from Ireland because of the recent atypical BSE case was lifted, we are day-one ready to provide beef that is fully traceable, with calves registered within 28 days of birth and every movement recorded until the animal enters the processing factory.

Sleight of hand

Interestingly, there is no mention of the EU moving to a similar full lifetime traceability requirement for beef imports from Brazil, which are expected to increase when the Mercosur deal comes into effect.

This is an excellent example of where the EU doesn’t have the exact equivalent standard for imported beef that it requires from domestic production.

Currently, the EU requires Brazilian beef to be traceable for the final 90 days of the animal’s life, not from the first 28 days, as required in the EU.

That means that in order for Brazil to qualify for export to the EU, there has to be individual animal identification for the final 90 days, with at least the last 40 days prior to slaughter spent on approved farms.

Benefit of full traceability

Of course, there is a very plausible argument that can be presented that what happens in Brazil is perfectly adequate and that full lifetime traceability adds little if any benefit in the market place.

The main benefit of full traceability is that it creates a record of all movements during the animal’s lifetime, which should assist in disease control.

Given the struggle to eradicate TB in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, this assumption can also be challenged.

As for benefit to farmers, the requirement for lifetime traceability means that registration and tagging during the calving season is an ongoing occurrence, which adds to the daily chores.

It would be much more convenient for farmers if they could make tagging a seasonal event when weaning or when the animal is making its first move off the farm on which it was born.

As it stands, Irish and EU farmers have to reach a higher standard when it comes to beef traceability than an imported product that it has to compete with on the shelves. It would be ironic if China was to show the EU how to raise the bar for imported produce.