[Jacob-list] Update on COOL

[Neal and Louise Grose]

Well, there is "cool" and then there is COOL. The following link should take you to an NPR story on tracking cattle in the aftermath of the latest BSE (Mad-cow) positive animal here in the U.S. This looks like a worst case scenario: she was a ten year old beef cow, not registered, that had been in the herd less than two years. This will make her movements around the country and finding her farm of origin just about impossible.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5284815

The net result of this is that it will accelerate the Country of Origin Labeling for all of us. As usual, NPR has the most complete coverage of the issue and still manages to fall short of telling the complete story. They make it sound as though the mean nasty cow farmers don't want to spend the money to protect the cow eaters in the country from mad-cow. 
Actually:

Currant electronically read eartags can be read with a scanner at an effective range of about 18". We need accurate readings at 4 feet to have a practical system. Eartags can be torn out.

Implanting chips, as is done in companion dogs (as opposed to "beef" dogs) is considered an "adulterant of food" by FDA.

Horses are considered a potential food source and may have to be effectively identified at sale. 

Chickens don't have ears. This makes eartags a little difficult.

We sheep breeders are already participating in this program under the mandatory scrapie eradication program.

We dairy farmers are ahead of the curve on this. We already identify most animals because we consider records to be very important to our ability to turn a profit.

Neal Grose
North Carolina
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