Farmer’s Weekly – 30 August 2019

RISKMANAGEMENT

BYANDRIESWIESE

AndriesWieseis headoftheAgri
Divisionat HollardInsurance.Email
himat [email protected].
Subjectline:Riskmanagement.

30 AUGUST 2019 farmer’sweekly 29

In an era of ‘fake’

news and consumer

activism, traceability

and authenticity have

become non-negotiable,

with both consumers

and the law, via the

Consumer Protection

Act, demanding

accountability from all

who interact with a

product before it reaches

the end consumer.

Towards improved

traceability

F

armers and other stakeholders in the

food value chain should not look at

traceability as something that needs

to be adhered to merely for the sake of

avoiding risk. Proper traceability of a

product also holds commercial value.

If a product or commodity can be traced

back to its primary source and be proven

to ‘do exactly what it says on the tin’, you

have credibility and a ready market.

The European General Food Law

Regulation defines traceability as “the ability

to track any food, feed, food-producing

animal or substance that will be used

for consumption, through all stages of

production, processing and distribution”.

THE VALUE OF TRACEABILITY

Traceability is the key to buyer confidence

and transparent relationships between

producers, participants in the value chain

and the end consumer. There is obviously

a cost involved, but the advantages of a

functioning system and the increased

sales and confidence will no doubt

offset this, and even reduce costs.

As recent disease outbreaks and food

safety crises have shown, traceability in

the animal protein sector specifically is

of utmost importance for South African

producers, especially for industries

wanting to expand exports to the EU.

According to Dr Pieter Vervoort of the

National Animal Health Forum (NAHF):

• Traceability is the ability to trace the
  ownership of an animal from birth to market;


• It is a value-added system. The benefits
  to the farmer outweigh the cost of the tags;


• Feedlots are likely to pay more for animals
  that arrive with livestock identification
  and traceability system (LITS) tags;


• Buyer confidence: buyers can ask for
  access to a seller’s information and know
  with certainty that the herd is owned,
  has been vaccinated, has been tested for
  fertility, tuberculosis and brucellosis, and
  has a record of antibiotic usage. It is a
  defendable system based on auditable trust;


• Veterinary certificates loaded on the
  system carry the assurance that they are
  from an authentic veterinary source;


• Traceable equals bankable. Currently, no
  bank will grant a loan to a farmer based on

the animals he or she claims to own, but

with a system that records the existence of

the animals, this information can then be

used as collateral for borrowing money. This

applies not only to commercial farmers,

but farmers in communal areas too;

• Biosecurity: it is crucial to know where an
  animal came from, and where it ended up;


• Online movement permits and scanners
  assist authorities to monitor animals
  in transit, thus lowering the incidence
  of stock theft and illegal movement.

A SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The NAHF, in collaboration with the

Department of Agriculture, Land Reform

and Rural Development, and the committee

on Livestock Identification and Traceability

System in South Africa (LITS SA), are seeking

to appoint qualified and experienced service

providers to develop an evidence-based

implementation/business plan of action for

the LITS SA operational policy framework.

These service providers will also

be required to assist the NAHF,

the department, and LITS SA in

implementing the terms of reference

set out by the committee.

The specific objectives would be,

among others, to present the industry

and trading partners with a credible system

for the identification and traceability of

livestock and products of animal origin;

to establish a public-private partnership

between government and industry; to

provide information to farmers, service

providers and policymakers to enable

them to make informed decisions on trade,

production and productivity; to implement

suitable plans on animal and public health

and disease control, food safety and quality,

market access, trade and economic growth,

genetic improvement and productivity,

disaster management, and stock theft

mitigation; and to strengthen existing

markets and open new markets. (^) ▪FW
TRACEABILITY IN THE
AN IMAL PROTE IN
SECTOR IS CRUCIAL
TO PRODUCERS