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Press Release
ViaGen and AgInfoLink Join Forces to Make Beef Genetic Information
Widely Avaialble Through Internet-Based Systemal Management
Austin, Texas, June 15, 2005 – Livestock genomics
innovator ViaGen, Inc. and leading agricultural information management
systems provider AgInfoLink are partnering to develop a massive data
storage system for producers and feedlot managers to keep track of the
genetic and production information for their livestock. The new
web-based system, which will be available by the end of the summer,
will allow producers, ranchers, feedlot managers and others associated
with the beef industry to collect, sort, analyze and store genetic
information instantly, permitting them to address enormous changes
taking place in the market.
For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
has announced their proposed requirements for individual animal
identification which may become mandatory at some future date. The
ViaGen/AgInfoLink program meets or exceeds USDA’s National Animal
Identification System (NAIS) proposed requirements for animal
identification and tracking. The ViaGen/AgInfoLink program offers
documentation of age and source verification information being
demanded in the marketplace today. An increasing number of retailers,
including McDonald’s, require that beef be traceable back to its herd
of origin. Japanese and other foreign markets are demanding age
verification as a condition of reopening their markets to beef US
exports.
“Genetic tests allow ranchers to replace guessing
with certainty,” said Dr. Sara Davis, President of ViaGen. “Producers
who can definitively pinpoint characteristics about their animals can
command higher market prices. The new system will permit breeders,
feeders and buyers to instantly access and share information about
breed, age, parentage and herd of origin.”
“We’re delighted to partner with ViaGen on this
important tool,” said Mark Armentrout, AgInfoLink’s Chief Operating
Officer. “We are pleased that our data collection solutions and our
secure information integration products are being used to help shape
animal traceability and identification systems.”
The web-based data system provides storage and
dissemination for ViaGen’s genetic tests and programs. Tests include:
AnguSure verification for branded beef labels,
Inducator analysis of Brahman composition, BreedSure
and KwikBreed confirmation of breed classification and
Parentage matching of offspring and sire/dam. Programs
based on these tests are available for animals from a common source,
mixed groups of cattle and for herds of crossbred animals. Beef from
cattle that have been genetically verified using ViaGen’s tests is
already being sold in more than 900 grocery stores nationwide. In
addition, the system will provide cattle producers reporting tools to
better manage their herds including production summaries and feedback
from feedlots and packers.
About ViaGen, Inc.
(www.viagen.com):
Based in Austin Texas, ViaGen is a
global provider of advanced livestock genetic technologies whose
unmatched expertise in animal genomics is setting new standards for
high quality animals and high quality consumer products. ViaGen’s
industry-leading compilation of livestock genomic data and patented
breeding and product identification processes are extensively used in
the cattle, pork and seafood industries to obtain verifiably superior
genetics. ViaGen makes livestock genetic technology affordable and
accessible to producers throughout the livestock production chain,
from farm to fork, offering new opportunities for businesses to build
revenue and for consumers to enjoy unprecedented quality and safety. ViaGen
is a subsidiary of Exeter Life Sciences, based in Phoenix, Arizona.
About AgInfoLink (www.aginfolink.com):
Founded in 1997, AgInfoLink designs
and develops secure, high quality, low-cost traceability tools for the
world’s food supply. The company’s products provides the food industry
with data collection, secure data transmission, data warehousing,
reporting and analysis tools for increasing profits and reducing
risk. AgInfoLink’s technology solutions allow agribusinesses to
collect, transfer, share, extract, transform and report on information
from individual units of production throughout the entire food supply
chain. By providing the tools to manage individual production units,
rather than aggregating products into groups, AgInfoLink Global has
provided customers increased efficiencies, increased commodity value,
and advanced “value traceability” from the farm to the table.
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