A US perspective on livestock animal traceability

On 2026-02-09 Darrin Dysart authored a LinkedIn post on US livestock animal traceability that, given Canada’s current traceability challenge, leads to insights worth considering.

First; an unqualified disclaimer that these comments address Canada alone. US ranchers must find their own solutions and these comments are entirely irrelevant to that discussion.

Please read the original post and comments. My takeaways:

• Universal and reliable traceability superior to US practice is necessary for Canada to retain access to the US market regardless any domestic practice the US eventually settles on.

• US influence upon Canadian ranchers on this topic has not been, and will not be, towards cooperation with public authorities.

• Canadian ranchers must be credited that they, with very few exceptions, are not outright rejecting traceability. Ranchers are, legitimately, resisting a punitive Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) / Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) mandate, obsolete CCIA technology, and denial of access to affordable digitization solutions.

  Canadian ranchers willingness to engage must be respected and leveraged. The CFIA response at this hour; another delay and promise of “consultation” without offering assurance the fundamental flaws in their proven failed strategy will be resolved is disrespectful of the willingness of Canadian ranchers to initiate dialogue rather than outright reject traceability.

  The Canadian situation could be far worse. Stubbornly persevere with current CFIA/CCIA strategy; mandate ranchers use an obsolete CLTS applying threat of penalty alone, and the Canadian situation will get far worse.

• The:

  • migratory bird that lands on a waterer and initiates transmission of H5N1 in beef animals, or
  • next traveller not declaring they are an FMD transmission risk, or
  • mutation originating the next prion of concern,

  will not check Google maps first to ensure they are not in continental USA. Canadian capacity to rapidly and provably trace and resolve incidents is, and will remain, critical competitive advantage.

Flokk invites you to read our proposal “Accountability and innovation are required for Canada to secure livestock animal traceability”.