DENVER – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced that it will adopt a policy to support US CattleTrace and its mission of advancing disease traceability.

In the policy, US CattleTrace calls on NCBA to support its mission throughout the country and help enable state affiliate support and educational efforts.

“We are humbled to have NCBA’s support and partnership,” said Brandon Depenbusch, US CattleTrace board of directors’ chairman. “To truly achieve a nationally significant animal disease traceability system in the United States we need partners across the industry – individual producers in all segments, industry organizations, like NCBA, technology, data and identification companies, and private-sector traceability organizations. This new partnership is a critical step in the expansion of US CattleTrace and disease traceability.”

The policy resolution was brought forward by state cattlemen’s associations in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

CattleTrace will focus on using data to achieve the goals laid out in the Beef Industry Long Range Plans and feasibility studies. There is also a newly released plan by CattleTrace that supports aggressive animal disease traceability growth and expansion targets.

CattleTrace was established in Aug. 2018 to maintain and manage the data collected as part of the disease traceability pilot project. A board of directors with representatives from cow-calf, livestock market and cattle feeding sectors was named to lead CattleTrace Inc. In Jan. 2020, the board voted to change the name to US CattleTrace Inc. to formally establish the multi-state initiative.