Tissue sampling tags power up Queensland beef business

The pair has introduced a cutting-edge 'conception to consumption' system at their Kandanga farm in the Wide Bay Burnett, using tissue sample tags to trace their animals' every movement - a major boost to biosecurity.

They take a notch of DNA during tagging, store it in a vial, enter the records into computer software and can then track real-time paddock movement from an app on their phone.

"In this way, a potential food safety incident recorded at a consumer level can be traced back to an actual animal through DNA rather than trying to make the link through large batches, boxes or container loads of meat potentially implicating hundreds of animals and still perhaps not having whole-of-life records of where that animal has grazed," Mr Scott said.

Europe is considered a leader in the field, but a growing number of Australians are moving to TSTs and tissue sample units; not only for traceability, but for DNA, genetic heritage and disease testing.

They're seen as fast, easy, clean and flexible, because unlike blood or hair, tissue sampling has little chance for cross contamination.

That was the main drawcard for the Scotts.

"I was keen to find a device that eliminated human error at the sampling stage and at the recording stage," Mr Scott said.

"There's no reason for human intervention, which is the problem with a lot of other DNA systems where you're handwriting numbers to cross correlate, or sticking on stickers."

The Scotts run a regenerative organic beef and rural retail business, growing their beef, slaughtering it locally and selling it in their fridges.

They run 200-250 adult equivalents with Senepol, Red Angus and Belmont Red genetics across 100ha.

When it came to designing their system, Mr Scott was able to draw on his experience running an RFID company and began sourcing tags from Caisley.

"It's quite unique in that, as you apply the tag, you take the chunk of DNA in the application process and what's left in the ear is a visual tag," he said.

That DNA then goes into a barcoded, numbered and printed vial. The electronic recording crush-side is done with a Tru-Test indicator and Aleis RFID panel reader.

All data is transferred to management software AgriWebb, so real-time paddock movement records are recorded, often daily, as cattle are managed over many cell sizes of under one hectare.

At induction time, their TST numbers are cross-referenced to NLIS tags, and at processing, both visual tag number and RFID number are on the kill sheets, along with body numbers.

On the other side of the country in Esperance, WA, Swans Veterinary Services vet Dr Enoch Bergman has been experimenting with tissue sampling for years.

In 2006, he pioneered Australia's first commercially available laboratory for the testing of ear notch tissue to diagnose BVDV.

While many countries have now introduced eradication or control programs, there is no such program in Australia.

The vet said Australia could follow the lead of many European countries and use ear notches to tackle the disease.

"Within five or six years, they completely eradicated BVDV from Switzerland by just ear notch testing every animal as it was born," he said.

"We've got this amazing opportunity here where we do have a good vaccine and access to the diagnostic tools, so hypothetically, we can whoop this thing in short order - we've just got to get everyone on board."

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