Source & Age Verified Cattle Marketing Programs
Marketing means getting reasonable value for the size, weight, number, type and condition of cattle sold. Some factors affecting these determinants of value are the subject of this chapter.
One of the hottest value added topics in our industry involves Source and Age Verified Cattle. With all the interest and buzz circling around these opportunities, it’s no surprise that there is also a growing amount of confusion about what actually makes up a "Source and Age Verified" animal.
Many producers have already been approached
by packers, feeders and/or buyers requesting
that they or their consignees complete
a verification form or affidavit in line with their
source and/or age verification requirements.
Many of these forms are part of a set of programs
approved by USDA that will qualify
calves to be marketed as beef for the Japanese
marketplace, while others are just purely a paper
affidavit with no export affiliation whatsoever.
The most important thing to understand is that just because a producer has completed an affidavit, those calves may not be eligible to be sold as beef for the Japanese market. To start clearing up some of the confusion surrounding all of these different forms let’s begin with a series of definitions.
Beef Export Verification Program (BEV)
A BEV is a series of product requirements that the USDA and an export market (example- Japan) agree upon and demand of any supplier wishing to export beef into that country’s marketplace. The supplier must have in place, or be a part of a USDA–approved Quality Systems Assessment (QSA) program or a Process Verified Program (PVP) that meets all of the BEV requirements.
Eligible beef products must be derived from cattle that are 20 months of age or younger at the time of harvest. Cattle must be individually identified and traceable back to the ranch of origin. (Note – Neither Japan nor USDA specify visual vs. electronic ID — so long as each calf is uniquely and individually identified and that identifier matches all records. Individual programs may have specific tagging requirements.)
The records for each calf must indicate either the actual date of birth of each individual calf being sold; or if the producer has a group of calves born in the same calving season each calf may be identified with the actual date of birth of the oldest calf born in the group.
Example — A producer has 20 calves born between Feb. 20 and March 20, he has the option of assigning each calf with its actual individual birth date—or if the oldest calf was born on Feb. 20, 2005, all 20 calves would then be assigned the birth date of Feb. 20, 2005.
Quality Systems Assessment Program (QSA)
Any packer, feedlot, auction market, producer, animal health company, or other related company or group can follow the USDA QSA guidelines. If approved, they can offer a QSA program under which cattle can be enrolled to qualify for Japanese export. Each program may have unique features but the basic elements outlined by USDA will require the producer to identify animals, document birth dates and have a written management system.
To date there are 43 approved QSA programs that have been granted the right by USDA to begin qualifying cattle for Japanese export. A list of programs approved and audited by USDA is available online at www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/arc/qsap.htm.
Only the cow–calf producer can enroll a calf in a QSA program and all animals must have been enrolled by an approved QSA prior to being sold in order to qualify for Japanese export. These programs are accepting responsibility for each producer’s management records validating the age and source verification claims. To protect the integrity of the program, USDA and each of the approved programs will be required to do regular audits of program and producer records to confirm that all records are in place back to the herd of origin, validating the birth and source info for individual calves.
Process Verified Program (PVP)
The PVP is similar in design to the QSA programs with the exception that the PVP also makes claims and audits all management claims made by the program.
Example — A PVP program may verify and audit only source and age info or it may also include all natural claims, preconditioned claims, etc. To date there are 23 USDA-approved PVPs that have followed the approval process and been granted the right by USDA to begin qualifying cattle as Process Verified. A list of programs is available online at http://processverified.usda.gov.
What does it all mean?
USDA and in this case, the Japanese, have laid down a set of requirements that our beef and edible beef by–products must meet in order to be exported. Our government and the Japanese government aren’t concerned with any product attributes other than how old the calf was when it was harvested and that each individual animal being harvested for export can be traced back to the ranch of origin.
If you’re asked to complete a marketing affidavit on cattle you need to make sure you know what you are signing. Talk to your buyers and ask them to clarify what they’re wanting to accomplish.
QSA and PVP programs may be a great opportunity for many producers, but if consignors are not already enrolled in a QSA or PVP program the cattle CAN NOT be represented as being eligible for export to Japan. If consignors have completed an affidavit and have records on hand to validate the claims being made then they can be represented at sale time as being simply Source and Age Verified — but again, this does not mean they are qualified for export to Japan.
Participation in a QSA or PVP or even completing a general Source and Age Verification affidavit is absolutely voluntary. It is a value–added opportunity for everyone in the marketing chain. — Adapted from the Livestock Marketing Association website http://www.lmaweb.com/member/QSA/qsa.html.
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Montana Beef Quality Assurance,
2116 Broadwater Ave., Suite 307/11
Billings, MT 59102,
406-896-9068,
cpeck@montana.edu
Montana Beef Network,
119 Linfield Hall
Bozeman, MT 59718,
406-994-4323,
mharbac@montana.edu