Scottish Industry Cattle Database

The Scottish cattle development program aim is to drive innovation, carbon efficiency and create and industry focused on meat yield and quality. The scheme would inject immediate support to the sector and focus deliver data capture to guide immediate management decisions in Scottish farms. With the build-up of establish databank information would be available to underpin the design of future production systems including genetics and develop high quality production models.

The Scottish proposals would be similar to how the two Irish programs work. The central point for the entire program would be a national cattle database. The Scottish proposal is a reaction to the Republic of Ireland beef cattle database recording schemes. There the average herd size is 16. In Scotland its 54. Needs to be addressed for the sake of being competitive.

Day was all about sharing.
Create information flows through and across the production chain to drive efficiencies and create farm benefits.
Make best use of basic passive data without creating onerous recording requirements.

There is a lot of information out there, we just don't use it. If we continue to ignore this Scotland will fall behind everyone else.

Performance targets:-
1 focus on live calves born
2 calf quality
3 time until slaughter

Making use of slaughter data presentation by Innovent Technology.
Overview given by leading edge technology company. Spent a while analysing slaughter data to improve on farm profitability using Q box analysis. Attempt to maximise quality meat to achieve best grades and then relate impact on profit. E.g. Stopping pigs coming to market that are too fat and have been over fed.

Incredible examples of beef finishers keeping cattle far too long. Over 200 days to achieve an average gain of 7 kilos. This could enable beef production to become greener and meet climate change targets, and attract government funding.

At abattoir level occurrence of fluke can be fed back to Vet Schools to attempt to address the issue.

VIA can evaluate the weights of all the different cuts on beef carcasses and even within the same grade on an EUROP system, yield can be up to £300 more per beast. Creates questions over how farmers could be paid by results.

The farmer would receive a payment of 40 Euros per animal if they were part of the scheme. The goal is to be able to start collecting information on the entire life cycle of animals. Results from information gathered and the DNA testing would analysed with appropriate bench mark groups and published to help farmers select breeding and finishing stock. The corner stone of the program is the database and its ability to collect information and feed it back to farmers. As data accumulate systems and genetic efficiency can be identified to guide the strategic development of the sector.

The claimant would be obligated to fill in survey information for their herd. The core elements recorded would be for calf, dam and at the abattoir. Facts of greatest interest to butchers would be Days to kill, Slaughter weight and confirmation – VIA and yield, Eating quality (defined industry key standards eg pH, sheer forces or marbling), Lung condition – categories as virus, parasitic and biologic abscess (Direct from MHS food chain information), Liver condition – fluke active or inactive (Direct from MHS food chain information)

An additions option could be for the farmer could also be required to DNA test a certain percentage of their herd. Which animals to DNA test would be chosen depending on which traits we want to explore from the information in the various surveys, disease priorities and kill statistics. This would incur an increased cost for the animals being DNA tested.

A fundamental element of the scheme would be funding abattoir upgrades through the processing and marketing SRDP grants. The program would require the installation of Visual Imaging Analysis and eating quality technology in abattoirs. The system will be able to improve the number of animals achieving higher eating quality. Carcass entire life cycle would be analysed and information fed back to the producer. Ultimately this would put Scottish beef on the strongest footing for our premium and reputation.

Scotland's livestock sector would become much more efficient moving calving rates from 86 to 94 would deliver 21% in efficiency. Lifetime performance and yield can add further carbon and economic value. This would be using technology to meet carbon targets whilst improving production of the sector.

A genetic map (at a genomic level) of the national herd when linked to performance recording over a wide population can identify the specific genetic markers that link into particular performance traits. That understanding of genotypes if fed into future breeding programs would create a predictive tool to drive future performance both at farm and abattoir levels. The outline program incentivises widespread recording of key performance parameters on farm and when linked to other data sources provides a complete picture of both system and breed performance in Scotland. Bolting on the identification of population genotypes takes the understanding of systems and performance to the next level. To capture these medium term benefits farms with over 100 cows would have the extra obligation to genomic test 10%-15% of their calf crop or as an option genotype their first calving heifers. This opens the door to maternal lifetime performance monitoring. The results would be put onto the database and would have an immediate impact in certifying the parentage of registered animals. Clearly the genetic profile of herd sires is a basic factor which drives the development of the national herd. Genotyping all stock bulls opens the door to a higher resolution of the herd profile as well as providing immediate advantaged in data analysis.

Scotland's Food Standards Agency must also be linked to the database allowing the flow of individual carcass food chain information from processing plants into the databank. Mapping disease profiles increases our ability to tackle diseases like liver fluke and lung worm by improving the targeting of therapy and the selection of appropriate drugs. This more strategic approach to parasite control can increase efficacy and performance. Last year a study concluded that carcasses lose £50 for a condemned liver. The system would reduce the 46% of livers currently condemned providing more profitability in the industry. The databank is therefore driving biological efficiency at several levels and can have significant benefits for both carbon and economic efficiencies and move us ahead of international competition.

Knowledge exchange is a key part of optimising the value of data and driving new efficiency into the industry. This program should be supported by funding drawn from the Knowledge Transfer Funding (KTF) within the Scottish Government's SRDP consultation.

In the near future the European Commission will define the technology required for a European wide Bovine EID system. Once the basic requirement is established the scheme would incorporate the requirement to EID tag all calves to the required level. This would move the Scottish industry to an electronic low cost base traceability systems.

This initiative provides production standards which can contribute to the green credentials of the Scottish brand and add value in premium and export markets.