Pet and Fish Tagger Eyes Chickens

Temperature sensing implants, one centimeter long, called biothermal RFID are proposed for chickens by a company, Digital Angel that has previously focused mainly on non-livestock applications. The idea is to warn about avian flu via rising temperature as is already done for cattle by Tek-Vet. Currently, the only crude methods of identifying avian flu include looking out for discoloration of the beak, sneezing, dioarrhoea, or sudden death.

 

US-based Digital Angel Corporation has introduced a biothermal chip and an RFID reader to alert poultry farmers to rising temperatures in the flock — a vital sign of the flu. Kevin McGrath, Digital Angel CEO,says, "We believe that our proprietary technology should be made available to vulnerable countries and researchers working to control the spread of avian flu. We have had two lakh bio-thermo chips manufactured for this and companion pet applications. We are prepared to work with research institutions and government entities on any further research necessary to control avian flu. Also, we have probably chipped more than 10 million dogs and cats," he adds. The company is targeting all countries in Asia that have a large poultry stocks, including ducks and chicken. The company also designs tags for subdermal insertion into humans under the name VeriChip, which are used primarily in medical applications and some for security. For the past 10 years in the US, it has been supplying implantable microchips to the US Department of Energy and related agencies for chipping salmon in the northwest area of the country. Since it chips between two to three million salmon a year, McGrath estimates that the company has probably chipped between 20 and 30 million fish."

 

The chicken tags would be inserted into a bird's breast with a single inoculation but IDTechEx notes that that creates risk of them entering the food chain and they are unlikely to be cheap enough to put in every chicken. About three to four lakh dogs and cats in Asia are currently tagged with a Digital Angel RFID chip each year. Digital Angel claims has sold far more implantable microchips for animals than anyone in the world. The company works in two areas: chipping fish and companion pets (cats and dogs). Trovan is a competitor. However, in most countries, livestock are tagged in the ear or with tags ingested into the stomach because these types are less likely to enter the food chain.

 

For more attend Food Traceability conference Dallas Feb 1-2 2006 www.trackingfood.com 

 

 

 

Food Traceability 2006 conference will be held on February 1-2 2006 in Dallas, USA. This hot topic is driven by health scares, bioterrorism and new laws. It will become the largest RFID application but we cover DNA and many other vital technologies as well. For further details please visit www.trackingfood.com 

 

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