U.S. Department of Agriculture uses implantable RFID tags to track horses
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Nowadays, passive tags are more closely linked with the international requirements for tracking animals, and are developed to help the National Animal Identification System of the US Department of Agriculture to closely track the onset of diseases in animals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the use of implantable RFID chips to track various horses, which are used in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The National Animal Identification System is a federal voluntary information system under the leadership of the United States Department of Agriculture to help track animals in the event of a disease.
The LifeChip chip is produced by Destron Fearing, which is part of Digital Angel. LifeChip is a passive 134.2kHz RFID glass tag. The label is the size of a rice grain and is implanted under the skin of the horse’s neck.
Each chip contains a 15-bit unique identification code, which is related to the horse’s data, such as the identity and location of its owner. This information is stored in the database of the National Animal Identification System. Destron Fearing also provides a Biothermal Sensor LifeChip (Biothermal Sensor LifeChip), which contains a temperature sensor that the owner of the horse can use to track the horse’s body temperature. The RFID reader captures the unique ID number on the animal’s thermal sensor chip and the animal’s body temperature when the tag is interpreted.
Both versions of LifeChip comply with ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 animal labeling standards, and are designed for horse breeders and trainers. So far, these two versions are the only RFID tags approved by the National Animal Identification System. The National Animal Recognition System is trying to find a label that contains 15 digits and starts with the US country code. Previously manufactured chips did not contain the US National Identification Number.
This tag is helpful to the generation of American-style automatic tracking and identification of animals, and this method conforms to international standards, because the tag uses the same frequency and the same 15-digit identification code plate type as the United Kingdom and most countries. The European Union requires that all horses be matched with 15-digit ID numbers. The first three represent countries and four to six represent horse breeds.
John Morehead, Co-Vice Chair of the Equine Species Working Group, said: “If anyone wants to implant a chip into their horse and want to join the National Animal Identification System, this kind of microchip is exactly what they need.” The Horse Species Working Group is supervised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Horse Council and is responsible for evaluating the work of the national animal identification system.
Morehead said that the National Animal Identification System project does not specifically recommend the use of RFID tags, although the project focuses on horse racing and racing, as well as out-of-state and even foreign travel. If the national animal identification system finally recommends the use of RFID tags to identify horses, it will also be for those horses with RFID tags implanted.
There are several purposes for tracking individual horses with RFID technology. For the national animal identification system, the biggest concern is the ability to identify and contact the owner of the horse when an animal becomes ill. The tag can also be used to identify lost or lost horses.
LifeChip, an animal heat sensor, can help horse owners monitor the health of animals. However, Destron Fearing product manager Sue Brown said that this type of sensor is not a substitute for manual temperature checks. “It’s just a management tool.” People who help maintain the health of horses track the fluctuations in their body temperature.
Brown said that the only feature of LifeChip is to cover half the length of the porous surface of the chip, reducing the possibility of the tag moving from the neck to other parts of the horse’s body. She explained that because the previous tags were smooth, they often moved inside the body of pets or other animals. On the other hand, the porous material on the LifeChip surface will be fixed at the place of implantation, because the material is organized around the pores. If the tag is moved to other parts of the body, such as the legs, it will be difficult for the breeder of the horse to decipher the ID number of the tag.
Destron Fearing provides two handheld readers that can interpret either of the two LifeChips within 2-4 inches. Brown said that the $800 DTR-3E is a personal anti-seismic handheld reader designed for harsh environments. After it captures LifeChip’s unique ID number, it transmits data information through a Wi-Fi connection. The reader can also be directly connected to a PC to download the ID number and transmit it to the website terminal system, such as the National Animal Recognition System Registry.
Although LIfeChip is the first 15-digit horse RFID chip approved by the National Animal Identification System, Morehead said that more manufacturers will be recognized, “If the approval procedures are passed, many manufacturers’ labels will meet the quality requirements.”
Recently, the media reported that the implantation of RFID tags may cause cancer. In response, Digital Angel and its parent company Applied Digital Sulutions and subsidiary VeriChip issued a statement to refute such reports.
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