Argentina cattle community turns to genetics to protect prized beef
cattle.

SALTO, ARGENTINA (FILE) REUTERS -
Cattle-rustling is an age-old problem on Argentina's legendary
Pampas plains, but genetic testing is helping police crack down on thieves.

Argentina, one of the world's top beef exporters, is famous for its
free-range beef from grass-fed cattle. Experts say lax controls and the sheer
scale of some landholdings make it easy for rustlers.

But now, a database of samples of genetic material from 10,000 cattle
that has helped police solve 270 cases of cattle-rustling will be expanded to
catch more thieves. The initial project was set up and has been successful in
Buenos Aires province for seven years.

Even filet steaks or sausages suspected of coming from stolen animals
can be used as a source of genetic material to cross-reference with the
samples of hair, blood or flesh kept in the cattle database, which is managed
by the state-run Genetic Veterinary Institute (LGEVET).

Before the database was set up, it was difficult for police to prove
rustling, even when they had identified suspects.

"The police always had knowledge of who it was, but what caught
their attention was there was no way to prove it, there were no tests that
could confirm their suspicions, and from there began the idea of using DNA to
help the judicial process in catching these people, and at least reduce the
number of cases in places where they have been able to solve cases," said
Pilar Peral Garcia, director of Igevet, which is based in the city of La
Plata, capital of Buenos Aires province.

They also want police to get better training on how to better collect
samples for the DNA tests.

"A lot of time they send us a whole skull to take samples from,
when really the only thing we need is a centimeter of meat," said Diego
Posik, a researcher at Igevet, which is part of the University of La Plata and
the National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigation (CONICET).

So far, the scheme only has been used by police in Buenos Aires, but
LGEVET scientists are holding talks with provincial officials with an eye to
setting up genetic cattle registers in others parts of the South American
country.