WINNIPEG — Thanks to a new cattle identification system, Canada is likely in better shape than the United States to deal with any outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, officials say.
The United States could be three years away from developing such a system, which uses electronic tags and bar code tags to identify animals.
“They don’t have the national infrastructure like we do in Canada to make it happen as quickly,” said Julie Stitt, general manager of the new Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.
So far, North America appears to have escaped the outbreak that is raging across Europe, leaving piles of burning animal carcasses in its wake.
If it does hit Canada or the United States, it could immediately put a halt to exports. Canada exports more than half its beef.
