The concept of life cycle management is not something that is easy to adopt. People are resistant. The concept forces us to leave our envelope of comfort and enter an area in which we are not comfortable. However, there are at least four societal demands or technologies that will, in my view, mandate this approach. The scientific ability to detect and recognize illness in association with food has escalated in the past decade.
Society mandates that food be completely and totally safe for all individuals.
In years past, the regulatory focus has been exclusively on chemical residues. Today, that focus has broadened to include microbes in food. Ultimately, the public will require accountability from all involved in food production. Electronic identification of animals will offer the possibility for automated data capture at any processing point. This would allow positive identification of owners and ownership history.