Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart has announced $50,000 in funding for the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) from the province's Voluntary Traceability Fund.

The Ministry of Agriculture will provide $25,000 for a cattle tag retention project that will determine which tagging techniques and tags work best to maximize retention. This project is part of a national study observing beef cattle operations in five provinces. The purpose of tagging cattle is to assist with the identification and tracing of animals. Tags are placed in an animal's ear and are intended to remain in the ear for the life of the animal. However, many cattle producers have reported tags fall out after a relatively short period of time.

"Cattle producers have identified tag retention as one of the problems with implementing traceability at the farm level," Stewart said. "Identifying specific tag retention challenges in beef cattle is one of the first steps to improving traceability in Saskatchewan."

"The SSGA applauds the Ministry of Agriculture's support for this important study," Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association President Harold Martens said. "The baseline data that is being collected will be used to move traceability forward by enhancing tag retention and reading performance."

The Ministry of Agriculture will also provide $25,000 for a project to increase awareness and value of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency's (CCIA) Premise ID Registry, among Saskatchewan cattle producers. The SSGA has been actively encouraging Saskatchewan beef cattle producers to register their premises so that a rapid response to a disease threat or natural disaster can be implemented. This funding will allow SSGA to increase their promotional efforts in this regard.

The Ministry of Agriculture continues to provide support and information for the voluntary implementation of traceability in Saskatchewan.

This funding is provided though the federal-provincial Growing Forward framework.