US technology and interactive cattle- marketing company eMerge Interactive announced this week the formation of a an alliance with Allflex Holdings Inc., a leader in visual and electronic animal-identification systems, and Farmexpress S.A. from Europe, a provider of livestock-industry information technology. The alliance aims to launch a global effort to create an industry standard in individual animal tracking solutions for the beef industry. In a statement the company said that the alliance will allow cattle-industry participants worldwide to individually track cattle throughout the supply chain, providing source and process verification from birth to the retail store. The alliance aims to help increase profitability throughout the supply chain, increase the quality and consistency of beef products, verify total quality assurance and enhance food safety. In a joint statement, spokespeople from eMerge Interactive, Allflex and Farmexpress stated, ''These capabilities will allow us to leverage our technologies in the U.S., as well as to promote technology standards that all market participants can utilise - standards that all three companies agree are critical to the future of this industry.''
