Source: Canadian Cattlemen Association
For the past year, all breeding cattle entering Canada from the U.S. have been required to be identified with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) compliant 840 radio frequency ear tags. Beginning April 1, 2019 all feeder cattle imported to Canada from the U.S will be required to meet the same requirement.
The application of the 840 electronic ear tag in the U.S. allows for rapid traceability to the premise of origin of imported cattle and seamless transition to the Canadian traceability databases. The 840 tag is an electronic ear tag of either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency and bears an official identification number following the ISO 11784 standard, which includes the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard. These tags have been recognized as equivalent to Canadian approved tags by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in accordance with section 173 of the Health of Animals Regulations.
There are many benefits to the tag. The requirement for country code identification eliminates confusion about origin. For inspectors, these tags can be easily read electronically at the port of entry when required. For importers, these tags can be reported directly to the responsible traceability administrator without the added expense and considerable effort required to re-identify cattle with Canadian approved tags.
