As a whole, cattle producers want safeguard measures for cattle theft and fraud. Branding will not always be the key identifier, and inspection can take place even if cattle are not branded. Benefits of an inspection service include added value and improved traceability system. 

Some producers talked about the ease for would-be thieves to load cattle in very little time.

“Especially with rotational grazing. The cattle know when it’s time to move on and when they see us coming with the trailer they come to the gate on their own. They could be loaded in 20 minutes,” said Phil Adams.

What will a verification system be - branding or ID tags or something else? Animal rights activists might put a stop to branding some time. ID tags do not mean ownership. Brian English, District 6 Director spoke about some innovative technology developed by a couple from Kyle, Sask. Known as One Cup AI, Bovine Expert Tracking & Surveillance or BETSY it allows producers to use their phone to identify their cattle with camera recognition.

“We will need dedicated RCMP to work with this. We have asked for this and though there has been no decision to date, the talk with the government about inspection was productive,” said English.

“What’s the next step?” asked Callum.

Members need to be encouraged to attend the 46th Annual General Meeting for a further discussion and potential vote on an expanded, mandatory inspection service for Manitoba. It is estimated it will cost the producer between $3-$4 per head to have an inspection service.

“Producers should be prepared to consider funding an expanded service. Now is the time while cattle prices are good,” said Callum.