Farm Foundation Traceability and Assurance

Roundtable

November 19, 2003

Who is eMerge Interactive ?

We are…. a technology company providing• individual-animal tracking, • data management,• supply logistics services,and• food safety technology

to the U.S. Beef production industry.

VerifEYE ™ Inspection Technology

• Exclusive rights to US patent (USDA/Iowa State)

• Critical technology to verify “Clean” carcass

• Enables “Zero Tolerance” on detectable fecal

• Carcass System, Hand-Held,

and Hand Scan Derivatives

Food Safety Technologies

Automatic Identification - Carcass Inspection (Excel Demo)

Food Safety Technologies

• Economic Initiatives:Economic Initiatives:• Animal OwnershipAnimal Ownership• Herd ManagementHerd Management• Genetic ImprovementGenetic Improvement• Vaccination RecordsVaccination Records• Marketing OpportunitiesMarketing Opportunities

– Branded BeefBranded Beef– Value Added AlliancesValue Added Alliances

Animal Information Solutions

• Regulatory Initiatives:Regulatory Initiatives:

• International Trade IssuesInternational Trade Issues

• Disease Monitoring and ControlDisease Monitoring and Control

• COOL LegislationCOOL Legislation

• National ID ProgramNational ID Program

Animal Information Solutions

• Food Safety IssuesFood Safety Issues “ “Farm to table” trace ability and certification to Farm to table” trace ability and certification to

address consumer fears and insure safety of address consumer fears and insure safety of

food supply.food supply.

Animal Information Solutions

National ID Program

• Goal is to achieve a traceback system that can identify all animals and premises potentially exposed to an animal with a foreign animal disease within 48 hours of discovery.

• Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of current regulatory programs

• Enhance ability to respond to Biosecurity threats.

Challenges to Data Providers

• Diversity of the Beef Industry:– Variation in Producer Size – Large vs. Small– Regional Challenges – Brand States vs. Non-

Brand States– Zero Control or Consistency at any point in the

Supply Chain.– Environmental Differences among Producers

Challenges to Data Providers

• Animal Movement:– No Vertical Integration– Average animal is owned by 4-6 people in its

life– Commingling is a normal management practice– Not all facilities are equipped to capture data– What is “Animal Movement”?

Challenges to Data Providers

• Lack of Infrastructure in the Production sector:

– Internet Access

– Identification Tags

– Readers

– Computers

– Handling Equipment

Challenges to Data Providers

• Government Access to Production Data:– APHIS = FDA, IRS, BLM, etc.– FOIA Concerns – anyone can get access to

data– Producers will reject any program that

allows/requires full government access.– Concerns over liability being thrust upon the

production sector.– Blame for mistakes at other levels of production

Challenges to Data Providers

• Private vs. Public Classification of Data:– Data will have to be classified as Private or

Public.– Public Data – ID Number, Weight, Sex, Color– Private Data – prices / costs, genetics, prior

owners– Proprietary nature of data when animals are

sold– Disclosure of Financial data to Government

and Competitors.

Beef Information Exchange- BIE

• Purpose: – Address the need for a uniform set of data

movement standards among the Beef Industry Producers.

– To allow government access to restricted fields of data in order to react quickly to a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak.

Beef Information Exchange- BIE

• Mission:– To create and maintain data standards and a

technical platform for the exchange of livestock identification and performance identification between qualified companies enabling a National information infrastructure which can be used by member companies, their customers in the private sector and appropriate regulatory agencies.

Beef Information Exchange- BIE

• Founding Members:– AgInfoLink– APEIS– eMerge Interactive– IMI Global– Micro Beef Technologies

Farm Foundation Traceability and Assurance

Roundtable

November 19, 2003