Animal ID Advances Livestock Health and Industry Economics

RFID animal identification picks up where animal tracking leaves off. Extending the scope of RFID technology to identify and track individual animals enables ranchers to track growth rates, feeding patterns and health statistics for each animal in a herd of livestock. This information can be used to help determine the time livestock should be sent to market or bred.

In a global economy, animal health concerns and their potential to spark trade embargos makes animal identification using RFID technology an even more critical need. The ability to trace back through the food production chain provides national and international health agencies a valuable tool in controlling the spread of disease. Producers can also assure exporters that a specific animal has not been exposed to an infectious disease, medicine or food additives.

Animal identification presents some unique challenges to technology suppliers. Most asset tracking applications keep products under strict human control on assembly lines and in warehouses and trucks. Livestock and wild animals tagged for environmental studies are alive and often free to move through a variety of environments. Successful animal identification deployments require a technology partner like Texas Instruments that has experience in these applications and offers appropriate field use performance.

TI has been a trusted and reliable supplier for the animal identification segment for more than 16 years. Companies and government agencies are utilizing TI-RFid™ technology to identify and track cattle, sheep and other livestock. TI-RFid™ transponders are also used to track wildlife and fish to better understand migration and/or spawning patterns.

TI strongly supports the International Standard for Radio Frequency Identification of Animals ISO 11784 /11785 based on 134.2 kHz technology. As a leading semiconductor manufacturer, TI can draw on world-class technology know-how, quality and economies of scale for its RFID technology. It controls the entire manufacturing process of the technology that powers several RFID tags and boluses including the antenna.