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The IBM brand is not often associated with the livestock business. But that could change, thanks to the technology giant's IBM Food Trust and its use of blockchain. This is just what it seems: blocks of information that form a chain, connected via the internet to allow information sharing that is seamless, efficient and secure.
Its main application is between partners in an industry that seeks to improve transparency, traceability, sustainability and, ultimately, also profitability.
Nigel Gopie, IBM's marketing leader, told 200 feeders at the Feeding Quality Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, a system that offers trust and transparency in places where it does not exist or could be improved.
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"In the food industry, in particular," said Gopie, "there are many concerns about food safety, food fraud, sustainability and others, and we believe that with the blockchain we can bring light to the problems we have. tormented for centuries ".
We take food security, for example. With the blockchain, the source of contamination could easily be detected.
"With blockchain, we can solve problems that we could never solve before," said Gopie.
The benefits of information sharing work in both directions.
"I could learn more about your organization by sharing data, I can learn more about my organization, but also together, we can learn a lot more," he said. "What we believe is, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts."
It's safe? Gopie has assured the public it is.
"With blockchain, your data belongs to you," he said. "We believe that your data does not belong to the solution, nor belong to your transaction partners, and so your data is stored in secure environments and is shared only when you want to share it, it is encrypted and nobody can access that data unless you do not authorize it. "
He said that even the cattlemen have flexibility when it comes to sharing.
"You do not have to authorize all your data – you can share pieces of data, you can share all your data and you can share data with me or your transaction partners a month, but then change the permissions so we share different data or no data for everything the following month, "said Gopie.
And what about responsibility? Would a breeder or feeder be responsible if E. coli were returned to his operation? How would it be?
Gopie said the blockchain is about looking for facts, not looking for breakdowns. And besides that, it is important to remember that an epidemic may not be related to the time on the hoof anyway.
"It may have been anywhere during the supply chain, but having visibility, you're able to help figure out where different paths cross, and then you're able to identify the problem," he said. "So it may not be on a farm, but if it's on your farm, you do not want to know about it? Second, if it were not on your farm, you'd like to share this information."
This is only part of the equation. In a much broader sense, the application of blockchain can allow a new and better way for consumers to feel connected to their food from grazing to the dish.
"Many of us who live in a city like the idea of understanding where our food comes from, seeing photos of where our cattle are bred. I think that kind of connection allows us to feel closer to the food that we're eating, realizing that the men and women who are raising these products really care about them, and that's the same thing they would feed their families back home, "Gopie said. "And so, it gives us a little more confidence on the whole system by allowing that connection to take place."
The forum was presented by the Certified Angus Beef brand (CAB).
