The Livestock Information Service has the potential to transform the livestock sector through greater transparency and data sharing, NFU President Minette Batters said today at the British Cattle Breeders Conference.

The new service, which is to be launched from the end of this year, will provide the foundation for some of the best farm to fork traceability in the world by using electronic IDs to collect animals’ medical information and track their movements across the country.The Livestock Information Service (LIS) is being developed by the Traceability Design User Group (TDUG) and you can find out more here.

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With the UK currently due to leave the EU on 29 March, and with the Agriculture Bill making its way through Parliament, Mrs Batters highlighted that the Bill has a huge part to play in improving how data is used in order to increase productivity and transparency in the supply chain.

She said: “Britain has the potential to be the number one supplier of choice globally. If we are to build upon our reputation of producing some of the best meat in the world, we need to be on the front foot when it comes to quality, accurate, easy-to-use data.

“By putting food safety, animal health and welfare and environmental enhancement at its core, the Livestock Information Service can help build productivity, drive a progressive UK livestock industry after we leave the EU and underpin the quality of Brand Britain.

“Looking more widely at the farming industry as a whole, the Agriculture Bill provides an opportunity to change the way we collect and use information to enhance British food production, benefitting farmers, government, the wider supply chain and, most of all, the British public.”