Cattle Birthing
Birthing (commissioning) events capture the creation of new traceable animals within the supply chain. These events mark the point at which an animal—or a group of animals—is first recorded as an ide…
Birthing (commissioning) events capture the creation of new traceable animals within the supply chain. These events mark the point at which an animal—or a group of animals—is first recorded as an identifiable entity within a documented supply chain.
Birthing should be recorded using an OBJECT – ADD event which indicates that a new traceable product(s) has been created in the supply chain. Two common approaches can be used depending on the identification practices of the operation. Below are the KDEs that should be recorded with the event for either approach.
Serialized Identification
Birthing events are most commonly recorded for each calf as it receives an individual identifier.
Examples include operations in which:
- Calves are identified at branding or tagging time, which can happen a few weeks or event months after birth. Birth records may be kept in handwritten logs or notebooks.
- Calves are branded or tagged shortly after birth. Larger or more technologically advanced operations may even use integrated software systems to link ear tags to data such as birth dates, parentage, vaccination schedules and growth performance.
KDE | CBV Field | Data Description |
Event Type | eventType | OBJECT* |
Action | action | ADD* |
Business Step | bizStep | COMMISSIONING* |
Disposition | disposition | ACTIVE* |
Event ID | eventID | Identifier for the event that distinguishes it from other recorded events (this is usually generated by the capturing application) |
Product Identification (EPC) | epcList | The EPC used to identify the animal. |
Event Date & Time | eventTime | If specific date is unknown, this can be estimated to an approximate date. |
Event Location ID | bizLocation | The GLN of the farm and/or field where the calf was born. If specific field is unknown, it can be estimated. |
Lot-level Identification
A different approach is needed for operations that do not brand or tag cattle to identify them individually. In these situations, a unique identifier can be established to represent all animals born within a defined time period (e.g. calving season, month, etc).
KDE | CBV Field | Data Description |
Event Type | eventType | OBJECT* |
Action | action | ADD* |
Business Step | bizStep | COMMISSIONING* |
Disposition | disposition | ACTIVE* |
Event ID | eventID | Identifier for the event that distinguishes it from other recorded events (this is usually generated by the capturing application) |
Product Identification (EPC) | quantityList | The EPC used to identify the lot of cattle birthed during a specific time period (epcClass and quantity should be included). |
eventTime | If specific date is unknown, this can be estimated to an approximate date. | |
Event Location ID | bizLocation | The GLN of the farm and/or field where the calves. If specific field is unknown, it can be estimated. |
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