| Animal Identification is an important part of safety | | | | animal identification, and has many benefits for |
| in our food supply chain. With an implemented | | | | animal traceability, as well as cost effective |
| animal traceability system, it enables authorities to | | | | benefits for the cattle rancher. RFID cattle ear |
| effectively trace back animals to their point of | | | | tags have a unique identification number, which will |
| origin. This is extremely important during a disease | | | | never be duplicated, so this eliminates human |
| outbreak, such as Bovine spongiform | | | | error. The RFID ear tags can also be read at an |
| encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease, the | | | | extremely fast rate, with a hand held RFID |
| affected livestock, whether it is beef cattle or | | | | reader, or fixed RFID reader. |
| sheep can be traced back to its original farm, and | | | | RFID ear tags also give a wealth of information |
| gives exact data of which animals the affected | | | | very quickly. When used with basic cattle |
| animal was in direct contact with, so those animals | | | | management or livestock software, a ton of |
| can be quarantined, and further tested. | | | | information can be recorded and retrieved quickly |
| This also proves to be cost effective, as an | | | | through the software. Information such as date |
| entire herd at a feedlot, does not have to be | | | | of birth, vaccinations the animal had received, |
| destroyed. An average feedlot at any given time | | | | gestation period, etc., all can be retrieved by |
| has between 200 to 3000 heads of cattle, all | | | | simply reading the RFID ear tag, and making a |
| depending on the size of the feedlot. This can | | | | simple enquiry through the cattle or livestock |
| enable a beef cattle rancher to segregate possibly | | | | software. |
| just 50 heads of cattle for testing, instead of the | | | | Many livestock producers have been against any |
| entire herd. Even testing has a cost per head, | | | | form or type of Animal Identification Systems, |
| with an average of $10 to $50 per animal. | | | | claiming it is a violation of their rights, and added |
| Animal Identification can be done with several | | | | cost per head to their operations, and so on. But |
| methods, the oldest and most cost effective to | | | | there is a great deal of benefits to producers. |
| the beef cattle producer is the visual ear tag. | | | | Livestock producers, just need to be educated |
| Although there are other methods such as tattoo, | | | | more on the technology, and the benefits it could |
| metal ear tags (mostly for sheep and goats) and | | | | add to their operations, and the added value it |
| Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) ear tag. | | | | could bring to their animals, on a per head basis. |
| The RFID ear tag is the most effective form of | | | | |