PigTRACE herdmark ear tag approved for pig movements to intermediate sites

November 29, 2017 – OTTAWA Effective immediately, pigs moved to an auction or assembly yard – collectively referred to as “intermediate sites” – can be identified with PigTRACE ear tags bearing a farm’s 5-digit herdmark, regardless of their next destination.
PigTrace ear tags with the 15-digit, individual identification number will also continue to be accepted.
PigTRACE’s herdmark ear tag was already an acceptable method of identifying pigs going directly to slaughter from a farm. The expanded use comes as a result of revisions to Canada’s list of approved animal indicators by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The approved indicators list can be viewed on the CFIA website under the Traceability section.
Chair of the Canadian Pork Council, Rick Bergmann, noted that this is an excellent example of collaboration between producers and the CFIA that is required to successfully deliver the national pig traceability program.

“CFIA’s acceptance of PigTRACE’s 5-digit herdmark ear tag for movements to intermediate sites is a significant benefit to the PigTRACE program. Compared to the 15-digit ear tag, the erdmark number is much easier for producers to record and report to PigTRACE, and is much easier for CFIA inspectors to read and verify.”

Prior to the revision, CFIA only accepted PigTRACE ear tags with the 15-digit, individual identification number on pigs moving to an auction site or from one assembly yard to another assembly yard.
 
The 5-digit herdmark is a unique and farm-specific number that can be used to identify pigs going to slaughter, either directly from the farm, or indirectly via an intermediate site.
 
The 5-digit herdmark number can also be applied to pigs as a shoulder slap tattoo; however, this is only acceptable for pigs shipped directly to slaughter from a farm, or pigs assembled at an intermediate site used solely for gathering pigs for shipment to slaughter.
More information can be found at www.pigtrace.ca, under the Requirements section.

The Canadian Pork Council is the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations representing 7,000 farms, the organization plays a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.

For more information, please contact: Jeff Clark
Director, PigTRACE Canada
Canadian Pork Council
1-866-300-1825, extension 4