By Carien Kruger
An integrated, biometric identification system for cattle developed in South Africa is now available for a million free registrations, with Free State farmers at the top of the list.
ID-Scan and Free State Agriculture have signed a cooperation agreement to register cattle in the province. This will help farmers along the Lesotho border combat stock theft.
Like every person’s unique fingerprint, the system is based on the uniqueness of each cow’s muzzle (nose) print. Farmers use the system via a mobile phone application, uploading a photo of the cow’s muzzle and other relevant information.
The system’s implementation takes place against the backdrop of Free State Agriculture’s ongoing reports on the prevalence of stock theft in the province, alongside the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen’s appeal for decisive action to address the crisis. The organisation asserts that Free State Agriculture is crucial in supporting its members in their fight against persistent stock theft.
Proof of ownership is essential to resolving the issue. The two organisations state that stock thieves often brutally eliminate all identifiers and proof of ownership. If the rightful owner cannot establish ownership, successful prosecution becomes impossible.
The muzzle print of animals gives each cow a biometric identity that cannot be replaced, removed, or forged.
Bian Jooste, chairperson of the ID-Scan board, says the company is now investing R100 million in the livestock industry to assist farmers in their battle against stock theft and to make the advantages of biometric identity accessible. It costs R100 per animal annually to utilise the system.
Francois Wilken, chairperson of Free State Agriculture, expresses his concern that farmers have had to absorb the cost of livestock theft in recent years – “this is wrong”.
“They will, for example, say: ‘If I don’t lose so many cows per year, I’ll be OK.’”
He believes this is part of a larger picture with a more profound underlying element as more and more farmers are beginning to dissuade their children from taking up farming.
Wilken says farmers often do not report stock theft because there is no response, feedback or consequences. “Farmers don’t want to waste their time. Free State Agriculture continues to urge farmers to report stock theft. Farmers must also understand that ‘the normal’ has changed. We need to adapt and put in more effort.”
Wilken pointed out that communal farmers are also severely affected by stock theft and that the system could help them greatly.
The prospect of insurance and financing of animals
Jooste says ID-Scan will soon introduce an insurance product to cover animals in the system. Furthermore, a financing product is being developed. “We specifically want to emphasise the value of livestock. It’s an insurable asset that a farmer has.”
Wilken welcomed both future products and said that when a farmer goes to buy a tractor, his financing is completed within two hours, but they cannot get financing when they want to buy 50 or 100 cows.
Jooste says the information ID-Scan collects will also enable various other uses. These include forecasting, helping with decisions about the best time to market the animals, traceability, and proving a product’s uniqueness due to its location on a farm.
“We can open up the world if we have traceability. We aim to assist farmers in becoming more profitable and sustainable,” says Jooste.
