Need to Take EID Debate Forward And Iron Out Problems

SCOTLAND - Electronic identification (EID) of animals could deliver benefits to the livestock industry, but there are still numerous problems which require addressing, according to NFU Scotland.

30 April 2007

2 minute read

Europe

As debate continues on the development of EID across Europe, NFUS has highlighted the areas that need addressing by manufacturers and government. These include:

Reliability of tags. External tags with bar codes can fall out and both internal options (a bolus in the stomach or electronic chip in the ear) can travel round the animal’s body and therefore be impossible for scanners to locate.

Reliability of scanners. Scanners have been shown in past trials to easily misread information if they are too far from the tag or suffer interference from objects such as metal rails or mobile phones.

Developing an appropriate central database to store information, uniform across the EU.

Addressing the security of the system, to avoid misinformation.NFUS Vice President Nigel Miller said:

“In theory, EID could deliver significant benefits but from the trials I have seen so far, we are some way from having a robust, workable model. It would make sense to us to take this forward for cattle before tackling the difficulties our sheep sector would pose. In our stratified sheep sector, with large, extensive units and sheep moving to lower ground for finishing, it remains to be seen if cost-effective EID is deliverable.

“There are reliability issues for all forms of tags and losses can obviously undermine the system as a whole and add significant extra cost. I understand the Italians have developed electronic implants by installing small filaments which lock them into place, to avoid them travelling around the body. That is the kind of development we need to examine further.

“At trials I have been at, scanners have misread tags simply because they were a bit too far away. The obvious answer is to move closer, but we need to consider how we develop systems which allow much closer contact with animals but in a safe manner.

“Clearly this will be a big issue at markets with groups of animals from various locations moving through very quickly.

“Europe is driving much of this debate, particularly for the sheep sector. Developing a uniform database across the EU is important, albeit not an easy task. It will have to be a database which can be updated very easily by farmers, as animals move and as tags have to be replaced.

“Obviously, cost-effectiveness is one of the single biggest issues. EID simply has to deliver benefits which justify the costs both on the public purse and on the industry.”

TheCattleSite News Desk