Livestock traceability scheme update welcomed
Led by the Traceability Design User Group (TDUG), which represents 23 organisations in the meat and livestock sector, the scheme’s vision was outlined to stakeholders at an event in London on Wednesday (3 September).
It aimed to develop “world-leading standards of livestock traceability in the UK” with the aim of not only giving the UK a competitive trade advantage but making it more resilient and responsive to animal disease.
The TDUG also hoped the LIP would “drive innovation, interoperability and productivity improvements” throughout the meat and livestock sectors.
Guarantees to consumers
The scheme was unveiled in April, with the goal of providing guarantees to consumers about the origin of their food.
The livestock sector is also expected to benefit from the added value that the scheme will provide. The LIP is due to be rolled out in 2019.
National Farmers’ Union president Minette Batters said: “We believe the LIP will put in place a foundation that we can build on to bring our sector together, connecting producers, markets and processors. I will enable risk-based trading and for us to evidence the quality of our products.
‘Able to lead the way’
“For the first time, the livestock sector will be able to lead the way in British agriculture, building a national system that provides powerful insight from which they can drive better profit through cost reduction, maximising price through provenance, and securing the markets that best suit their products.
“It really is a pivotal time for the Programme and I’m thrilled to see such great progress enabled by the partnership across the industry.”
John Cross, livestock farmer and TDUG chairman, added: “We are in an unprecedented position where the ambitions and needs of government and industry are totally aligned and this is a unique opportunity to achieve something incredibly smart together and make the UK meat and livestock industry world-class.”
