Avian flu countered by RFID?

Thailand exports more chicken carcases than any other nation at 400 million yearly, though China has the most chickens at about five billion. Both nations are deeply concerned about bird flu and Thailand is looking to RFID tag one in 200 or 250 for traceability and prompt culling in the event of outbreaks. One candidate for this is the Digital Angel product claimed to be the only animal temperature monitoring tag with RFID although Tek-Vet seems to have one as an ear tag for cattle. The Digital Angel product is an implant. Kevin McGrath of Digital Angel says, "Since early detection of temperature increases could be important to identifying and controlling bird flu outbreaks, our Bio-Thermo identity system may prove instrumental in dealing with the disease in a cost effective manner within the confines of a poultry farm." Digital Angel is a sister company of verichip Corporation which provides RFID implants for humans and RFID wristbands for mothers, babies and patients in hospitals.

 

IDTechEx notes that tagging all chickens even with combined RFID with sensing is not an impossible dream for the longer term as fully printed active or passive RFID labels with sensing are developed. For more read "Printed Electronics" and "Food and Livestock Traceability." www.idtechex.com

 

and attend the conference "Printed Electronics Europe", Churchill College Cambridge UK April 20-21. www.printelec.com