Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland – 27 February 2016

Robert Gilchrist, Quality Meat Scotland gave a presentation about gathering and transferring data. Doing something with the data is what is important and this information is not really being used enough.

EID is already compulsory for sheep and will become compulsory for cattle. Some are already using it for cattle management, it can identify medicine that should be administered and provides a history. It can assign parentage and be easily accessed by inspectors.

The potential is vast and extends beyond passports. If all the information was on an ear tag it would do away with paperwork. Weight prediction and live Visual Analysis (VIA). Cameras can assess when animals are optimally finished and get animals off the farm at the right time. Could be sighted at the water trough, feed pass or race and does not require animals the chased into an area. (Non disruptive weighing). Benefit can include blood test records with bar code readers referring samples to the correct animal.

Feed efficiency of a cattle beast 1kg is 18 to one of feed intake when you include its father and mother. Chickens are 1.7kg to one kilo of gain. Feed can be recorded for each beast identifying the best performing types. This has fantastic potential to drive producer efficiencies.

This is what is called Big Data. Big data is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional dataprocessing applications are inadequate. Challenges include analysis, capture, datacuration, search, sharing, storage, transfer, visualisation, querying and information privacy.

Hamish Stuart, ScotEID was the computer expert and he started off by disclaiming anything he said would be his views and not the views of ScotEID or Scottish Government. His was a rambling and highly entertaining talk full of realistic views. He said that EID for sheep traceability in 2010 with the help of auctioneers and a collaborative supply chain. Benefits set out at the inception in 2003 have materialised in Scotland although he suggested Defra had not experienced the same.

Industry should be transparent and no data should confidential. Hamish even suggested that financial information should be incorporated because the value of the animals is even more important. Weight gain efficiencies can be impressive but if the carcase ends up too large then the financial will not be as impressive.

Hamish maintained that passports should be downloadable off a website. In Scotland 2.6m animal movements. Because in and out both count that figure is registered twice and so abattoirs doing 920,000 movements, markets 4.1m. movements.

BCMS was a 'one way street' until Scotland paid for an interface 12 years ago so that farmers could see more. Missing if bull or steer – records are just male or female. Only 34% of breeders are recording sires. Internet access is still a problem for farmers in some areas of Scotland e.g. Uists.

Andrew Wright, Executive Secretary gave a talk on the future animal ID and data transfer in markets. Markets do the vast majority of animal movements. He said that he cannot believe that things do not progress at a faster pace. Seem to be doing just what was required for BSE and FMD. Do we really need passports he asked. They have been a safeguard for markets but is there a better way to do it? Can paperless systems be built for the future? Passports would still need to be required unless permanent online connection to real-time database.

ScotEID now has a multi species database and provides an opportunity. In 2019 EC requirements could be forced upon UK and so this database needs to be developed and has got to be right. Improving traceability through marts in a manner that looks after animal welfare and EID can change this. IAAS has put together a research project to produce dual LF/UHF cattle tags so that electronic formats can be used. Desire to improve efficiency by using the data recorded. This project could link with existing systems such as QMS' SPECC, Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES) and BVD eradication.