In 2003, the discovery of a sick cow diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow disease,” led to the slaughter of thousands of cattle, as well as a ban on imports of Canadian cattle and beef from the United States, Japan and other nations. In 2006, the Canadian government took a stringent approach to tracking all cattle and preventing the spread of diseased animals, requiring ranchers to identify each cow with RFID ear tags. In the province of Quebec, the government adopted even more stringent livestock traceability requirements, by requiring calves born on Quebec farms to be RFID-tagged such that the tags could only be removed at the slaughterhouse, thus ensuring traceability from birth to death. Hear how Levinoff-Colbex, the largest meat-processing facility in eastern Canada, developed an RFID tracking system to reduce public health risks from potentially harmful meat contaminations, as well as improve recall process efficiency and reduce revenue risk as a result of potential large-scale recalls.
Speakers:
Stéphane Dubé, Quality Assurance Manager, Levinoff-Colbex S.E.C.
Grégory Pétrieux, VP, Business Development, Epsilia