The  EU Coordination and Support Action (CSA) BrightAnimal has investigated as one of its topics the role of advanced traceability in Precision Livestock Farming. Most efforts in this area concentrate on the animal lifecycle only (birth, death and movements in between) without utilising the full range of opportunities that bidirectional transport of information along the supply chain offers.

In this contribution we would like to discuss the feed - animal - food chain as a generator and consumer of important information and the advantages of a bi-directional exchange in this chain. The optimisation potential along the chain is important and its realisation would benefit all partners in this chain. Reference to existing efforts in this area will be made, as well as its challenges discussed.

Keywords: Traceability, feed, farmer, slaughterhouse

(Held at 5th EC-PLF conference in Prague, July 2011.)