Livestock Traceability and Welfare Accountability

Animal identification and traceability systems enable tracking of livestock from birth to slaughter, providing infrastructure for welfare accountability and enabling targeted interventions when welfare problems are identified.

Key Facts

UK cattle have been individually identified and traced throughout their lives since the 1990s BSE crisis
Sheep and pig identification systems are less comprehensive but enable flock and herd level tracing
Blockchain technology is being trialed for immutable welfare record keeping across supply chains
Traceability systems can link welfare audit outcomes to specific farms and production batches
Consumer-facing QR codes on meat products are increasingly used to provide farm welfare information

Welfare Considerations

Traceability systems provide the infrastructure needed for genuine welfare accountability in livestock supply chains. When welfare problems are identified at slaughter, traceability allows linkage back to the farm of origin for targeted investigation and intervention. Without traceability, welfare problems at slaughter cannot be used to drive improvements at farm level. Consumer-facing traceability tools that provide farm welfare information create market incentives for welfare improvement. The potential of traceability for welfare accountability has not been fully realized due to gaps in data collection, sharing, and public access.

What You Can Do

Support initiatives providing consumers with accessible welfare information through product traceability
Advocate for mandatory welfare outcome reporting linked to individual farm traceability records
Engage with traceability technology trials that connect welfare data to supply chain decisions
Use QR codes and traceability tools on meat products to access farm welfare information
Support retailers requiring transparent welfare outcome data from their livestock supply chains