Meeting Multiple Standards with One System

Animal traceability regulations vary dramatically across countries, regions, and species. Australia's National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) requires lifetime traceability for all cattle and sheep. The European Union's TRACES system mandates detailed movement documentation for cross-border trade. The United States' USDA requirements focus on interstate movement and disease control. Each framework has unique requirements, data formats, and reporting obligations.

Maintaining separate records for each regulatory framework would be overwhelming. Duplicate data entry, multiple systems, high error risk. Kora's approach is different: capture traceability data once using international standards, then export it in formats complying with different regulatory frameworks. One traceability system serves multiple compliance requirements.

International Standards Support

Kora's traceability system is built on internationally recognised standards ensuring compatibility with regulatory frameworks worldwide:

ISO 11784 and ISO 11785: RFID Identification

What They Are: International standards defining RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for animal identification:

• ISO 11784: Specifies the code structure for RFID transponders (the data format stored in RFID chips)
• ISO 11785: Defines technical aspects of RFID transponders (how they communicate with readers)

Why They Matter: Most modern animal identification relies on RFID technology (ear tags, injectable transponders, boluses). ISO 11784/11785 compliance ensures RFID identifiers work across different manufacturers, countries, and systems. An RFID tag implanted in Kenya can be read by a scanner in Australia, Europe, or the United States because they all use the same ISO standard.

Kora Implementation: When you record RFID identifiers in Kora, they are stored in ISO 11784-compliant format ensuring compatibility with regulatory systems worldwide. Whether exporting to the EU, trading with Australia, or moving animals interstate in the US, your RFID data meets international standards.

ICAR: International Committee for Animal Recording

What It Is: Global organisation establishing standards for animal identification, recording, and performance evaluation. Particularly for dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, and goats.

Why It Matters: ICAR standards ensure livestock data (identification, parentage, performance) can be shared internationally supporting breeding programmes, genetic improvement, and trade. Many premium breeding markets require ICAR-compliant documentation.

Kora Implementation: Traceability chains and lineage records (maternal/paternal links) align with ICAR guidelines enabling export to ICAR-compliant breeding programmes and studbook registries.

GS1 EPCIS: Electronic Product Code Information Services

What It Is: Global standard for sharing supply chain event data. Originally developed for product tracking, EPCIS is increasingly used for livestock traceability enabling "farm to fork" tracking through the entire food supply chain.

Why It Matters: Premium markets, organic certifications, and consumer transparency programmes increasingly demand complete supply chain traceability. GS1 EPCIS provides the framework for sharing livestock traceability data with processors, retailers, and consumers.

Kora Implementation: Traceability event data can be exported in GS1 EPCIS-compatible formats supporting supply chain integration and consumer-facing traceability programmes (future development).

One System, Multiple Standards

The power of international standards is you do not choose between them. Kora supports them simultaneously. An animal's traceability chain can meet ISO 11784/11785 (RFID identification), ICAR (breeding programme compliance), and GS1 EPCIS (supply chain integration) all from the same underlying data.

Regional Regulatory Framework Compliance

Beyond international standards, Kora supports regional regulatory frameworks with framework-specific export capabilities:

EU TRACES: Trade Control and Expert System

What It Is: European Union's online platform for managing animal movements, imports, exports, and health certification across EU member states.

Requirements: Complete movement history, health certification, disease status, veterinary approval for all animals moving between EU countries or imported from third countries.

Kora Support: Traceability data can be exported in formats compatible with TRACES submission requirements (future development). Movement events, health certificates, and disease testing records align with TRACES data structure supporting EU export operations.

USDA APHIS: United States Department of Agriculture

What It Is: United States regulatory framework for animal disease traceability focusing on interstate movement control and disease outbreak response.

Requirements: Official identification (RFID or visual tags) for cattle, bison, and swine moved interstate. Interstate movement documentation. Disease testing records for specific species and purposes.

Kora Support: Traceability chains document official identification methods, interstate movements, and disease testing records supporting USDA compliance. Export formats for USDA reporting systems (future development) enable streamlined regulatory submission.

NLIS: National Livestock Identification System (Australia)

What It Is: Australia's mandatory livestock traceability system requiring lifetime identification and movement documentation for all cattle, sheep, and goats.

Requirements: NLIS-approved RFID tags (ear tags or rumen boluses), movement documentation within specified timeframes, property registration, database reporting for all movements.

Kora Support: RFID identifiers stored in ISO 11784 format (NLIS requirement), movement events captured automatically, property identification linked to location records. Export to NLIS database formats (future development) supports automated compliance reporting.

Export and Compliance Flexibility

Kora's approach to regulatory compliance is future-proof:

Capture Once: Record traceability data once using Kora's regular workflows (movements, treatments, observations, health certificates).

Export Multiple Formats: When compliance reporting is required, export traceability data in formats specific to each regulatory framework (TRACES for EU, USDA formats for US, NLIS for Australia).

Adapt to Changes: As regulatory requirements evolve or new frameworks emerge, export formats can be updated without changing underlying traceability data.

Support Multiple Jurisdictions: Operations working across multiple countries maintain one traceability system while meeting diverse regulatory requirements through framework-specific exports.

Export and Import Documentation

Traceability provides instant access to complete documentation supporting export and import operations:

Pre-Export Requirements

Export operations require extensive documentation:

Movement History: Complete record of all locations animal visited from birth to export. Traceability timeline provides instant access to every movement event with dates, locations, and durations.

Health History: Vaccination records, disease testing results, treatment history (especially antimicrobial use), health assessments. Traceability integrates all health events providing comprehensive medical documentation.

Ownership Chain: Proof of ownership and custody throughout animal's life. Ownership transfer events document complete chain of custody for legal verification.

Biosecurity Compliance: Quarantine periods, biosecurity protocols followed, disease-free property status. Quarantine events and biosecurity assessments automatically documented in traceability chain.

Example pre-export documentation retrieval:

Export Request: Bull #A456 to European Union
Required Documentation: Complete lifetime history

Kora Traceability Chain Provides:
✓ Birth Record: Born 2023-05-15, certified disease-free property
✓ Movement History: 8 movements documented, all within disease-free zones
✓ Health History: 12 health checks, all assessments normal
✓ Vaccination Record: All required vaccinations current with batch numbers
✓ Disease Testing: Tuberculosis (negative), Brucellosis (negative), FMD (vaccinated)
✓ Treatment History: 3 treatments documented, all compliant with EU restrictions
✓ Ownership Chain: Single owner since birth, no custody changes
✓ Quarantine: 21-day pre-export quarantine completed

Documentation Generated: Complete export dossier (47 pages) compiled automatically from traceability chain in 30 seconds

This instant documentation generation transforms what would be days of manual file searching into seconds of automated compilation.

Import Verification

When importing animals, destination countries require verification of source documentation:

Source Country Certification: Import health certificates issued by origin country veterinary services. Kora links certificates to traceability chains providing instant verification.

Transport Documentation: Movement events document transport pathway from origin property through export facility to destination.

Quarantine Arrangements: Pre-import quarantine periods, post-import quarantine facilities. Quarantine events document compliance with import requirements.

Traceability enables importing authorities to verify complete animal history from birth through import process supporting biosecurity confidence and regulatory compliance.

Regulatory Authority Access

Regulatory authorities (government veterinary services, food safety agencies, disease control organisations) have read-only access to traceability data supporting oversight and investigation:

Disease Investigation Support

When disease outbreaks occur, regulatory authorities need rapid access to animal movement history, contact tracing, and health records:

Outbreak Tracing: Complete movement history enables identification of all properties an animal visited, other animals potentially exposed, and transmission pathways.

Contact Identification: Movement events, mob memberships, and location sharing identify all animals potentially exposed to infected animals.

Intervention Verification: Health certificates, vaccination records, and quarantine events verify that disease control measures were properly implemented.

Example disease investigation:

Outbreak: Foot-and-Mouth Disease diagnosed at Property A

Regulatory Authority Investigation:
1. Access traceability records for all animals at Property A (200 cattle)
2. Review movement events identifying source of infected animals
   → 15 cattle imported from Property B (30 days prior to outbreak)
3. Review movement events from Property B animals
   → Property B received animals from Market C (45 days prior)
4. Identify all animals potentially exposed at Market C
   → 342 animals from 47 different properties

Total Investigation Time: 2 hours (vs 2+ weeks with paper records)

Containment Actions:
- Quarantine imposed on Properties A, B, and 47 additional properties
- Contact tracing identified 342 potentially exposed animals
- Movement restrictions implemented based on traceability data

Read-only access ensures authorities can investigate without altering operator records, maintaining audit trail integrity while supporting rapid disease response.

Compliance Monitoring

Regulatory authorities use traceability data to monitor ongoing compliance:

Movement Compliance: Verify animals moved with proper health certificates, permits, and documentation.

Treatment Compliance: Monitor antimicrobial use patterns, withdrawal period adherence, prohibited substance violations.

Certification Accuracy: Verify health certificates match underlying health records (disease testing, vaccination status).

Biosecurity Adherence: Monitor quarantine compliance, biosecurity protocol execution, disease prevention practices.

This oversight capability enables proactive compliance support (identifying issues before they become violations) and efficient enforcement (investigating suspected violations with complete evidence access).

Data Export Capabilities

Kora provides multiple export formats supporting regulatory submission, audit preparation, and compliance reporting:

CSV Export: Spreadsheet-compatible format for analysis, custom reporting, or import to other systems.

PDF Reports: Official documents suitable for submission to regulatory authorities or inclusion in audit packages.

JSON Format: Structured data format for integration with regulatory databases or third-party compliance systems.

Framework-Specific Formats: Specialised exports aligned with regulatory framework requirements (TRACES, USDA, NLIS) as they are developed.

Example export scenario:

Audit Request: Regulatory authority requests complete traceability records for all cattle exported in 2024

Export Process:
1. Filter traceability chains: Export events, 2024 date range
2. Select export format: PDF Report (regulatory submission)
3. Generate report: 127 cattle, 847 total events documented
4. Report Contents:
   - Individual animal summaries (identification, movements, health)
   - Export health certificate copies
   - Disease testing results
   - Treatment histories
   - Compliance verification statements

Total Time: 5 minutes (vs days of manual compilation)
Completeness: 100% (no missing records, no gaps)

Automated export transforms compliance audits from stressful, time-consuming ordeals into straightforward data provision.

Privacy and Access Control

Traceability data can be sensitive (commercial information, premium genetics, proprietary practices). Kora supports privacy controls:

Privacy Levels: Traceability chains can be marked:

• Public: Accessible to anyone (consumer-facing traceability programmes)
• Protected: Accessible to regulatory authorities and authorised parties
• Private: Accessible only to operators and designated collaborators
• Confidential: Highest protection, restricted access

Regulatory Authority Access: Even with privacy controls, regulatory authorities maintain read-only access for disease investigation and compliance monitoring. Legal requirements override privacy settings during investigations.

Commercial Data Protection: Non-essential commercial data (prices, genetics, proprietary practices) can be excluded from regulatory exports while maintaining compliance with legal requirements.

Future Regulatory Developments

Traceability regulations continue to evolve globally:

Expanded Scope: More countries adopting mandatory traceability, more species covered, younger age requirements.

Enhanced Detail: Growing requirements for antimicrobial use reporting, welfare verification, environmental sustainability.

Consumer Traceability: Increasing demand for "farm to fork" tracking supporting consumer confidence and premium markets.

Digital Integration: Regulatory authorities transitioning from paper submissions to digital data integration.

Kora's standards-based approach future-proofs compliance. As regulations evolve, export formats can adapt without changing underlying traceability data or workflows.