Saskatchewan introduces Premises Identification Database

Jun 09, 2015

Available for livestock and poultry

In an effort to equip farmers with as many tools as possible to keep track of their animals and lands, Saskatchewan is launching an online database.

The Saskatchewan Premises Identification Program (PID) is designed to improve the response and prevention of any livestock emergencies.

Database

The program links livestock and poultry to specific lands by assigning each premises with a unique number. It will also help in the planning and managing of animal health and environmental issues. PID can also notify farmers and producers of any imminent disease threats and potential disasters, and can aid in the dispatching of emergency personnel to specific locations.

"The benefits of the Premises Identification Database are far-reaching,” said Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Lyle Stewart. “Knowing where our province's livestock is located allows us to be more effective in handling everything from flooding to disease outbreak."

PID is only one part of the three important pillars of a successful livestock tracing system – animal identification and animal movement reporting are the other two. Nearly 1,400 producers have already registered for the PID and community groups are also working with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture to increase the number of registrants.

"We see the Premises Identification Database as being a great benefit to our producers,” said Florian Possberg, Chairman of Sask Pork. “With diseases like Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea having the potential to devastate our swine herds, our industry is doing everything it can to prevent or lessen an outbreak. The fact all of our producer members have already registered speaks to the importance of this tool."

Tell us your thoughts about the Premises Identification Database. Is it something you will sign up for? What benefits could it provide?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.