If there's a bright side to the U.S. mad cow scare, it's that it could speed the nation's move to a centralized system that electronically tracks animals as they move from fields to feed lots to food stores.
Efforts to create a centralized database, which exist in some countries, have been slowed so far by disputes over who would maintain the database and who would bear its cost.
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One company, Optibrand Ltd., further tightens the process with retinal scans of cattle to confirm their identity. Optibrand's scans are performed with readers that have global-positioning chips to record the animal's location.
Optibrand, based in Fort Collins, Colo., announced a five-year deal Tuesday to supply its technology to Swift & Co., a leading meat producer. Swift spokesman Jim Herlihy said the company will use the retinal scans in its feedlots and encourage its suppliers to embrace them as well, to make the entire life of livestock more easily traced.
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Apparently the initial report is bearing out. A veal/lamb packer in New York sent over a sample package that had one strip of bone-in veal product. As of right now that plant is barred from shipping product to Japan. Extra USDA inspectors are en route to packing plants in this country to see that restrictions are followed.
US beef packers are livid.
"One company, Optibrand Ltd., further tightens the process with retinal scans of cattle to confirm their identity. Optibrand's scans are performed with readers that have global-positioning chips to record the animal's location."
Okay...tin foil time...what a great way to test technology that can be used to track humans. You force/induce/manipulate farmers into participating with this "chipping" scanning system which allows researchers to optimize data and refine the process for use in humans. Research costs are low because the company doesn't have to maintain large herds of millions of cattle, the farmers fund the research/developments costs by simply caring for their live-stock. Plus you watch and catalogue side effects and redesign accordingly.
The GPS tracking is the final piece of the puzzle, optimize that and the technology becomes available for the tracking of all humans!