JAMAICA is set to become the first Caribbean Country to implement a national animal identification and traceability system (NAITS) programme.

The Jamaica National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS), which is expected to put a major dent in the high incidents of praedial larceny, is slated to roll out in September

Veterinary officer, Dr Ikolyn Ricketts-Gayle, told the Jamaica Observer that the programme will be officially launched next month, starting with the tagging of cattle islandwide, followed by pigs.

Under the new programme, every head of cattle and other livestock will be tagged and issued a passport. The passport will contain critical information about the animal and will be mandatory for movement of all animals.

“It is not about putting tags in animal ears, you are tagging the animals, yes, but you are combining that with a movement document which has to correspond with number in the ear tags,” Dr Ricketts Gayle explained.

Last week Sunday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries carried out a sensitisation exercise at

the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in Clarendon where the first animal was tagged under the programme.

Dr Ricketts-Gayle said after the exercise: “NAITS is developed with the aim of increasing growth in agriculture and to assist farmers in improving their own animal production as well as improving wider market access.”

She said that it would also help the Veterinary Services Division to enhance its capabilities in terms of disease surveillance and movement control.

“It is foreseen that with full implementation, NAITS in itself will improve consumer awareness of the products they consume and we will be able to prove traceability of products of animal origin from the slaughter back to the farmer of origin,” added Dr Ricketts-Gayle

However, she pointed out that the main thrust of the programme is food safety and disease control but that it will help in addressing the troubling issue of praedial larceny.

She said that there are several countries which have been using the programmes for many years and that Jamaica is now catching on and that will help the country to better manoeuvre goods locally and internationally.

In the meantime, Dr Ricketts-Gayle reiterated that NAITS will be mandatory and failure to adhere to it will result in criminal sanctions as the programme is supported by the Animal Disease Limitation Act.

“All owners of cattle, this is in everybody’s best interest and it is a system that will only be accomplished if we work together as a team, government, owners of cattle and the police,” Dr Ricketts-Gayle said.