August 19, 2005

US tests radio frequency cattle ID ear tags

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is testing till year-end radio frequency identification ear tags on cattle that will be sold through three Texan livestock markets, using tag readers and computers set up in the markets.

Two cattle firms that purchase from the markets will also record and report cattle movements as cattle are sorted and shipped to feedlots.

TAHC will check on how well the ear tags stay put, the ease and accuracy with which data can be gathered, stored and used, and whether the equipment could stand everyday wear-and-tear.

About 80,000 tags will be put on cattle, sheep and domestic deer. These tags work by emitting a low-frequency signal that is then picked up and read by a device.

TAHC emphasised that as time is of the essence in a disease outbreak, the sooner a potentially diseased livestock can be tracked and traced, the easier an outbreak can be controlled.