Animal husbandry – Miscellaneous
Patent
1994-03-11
1996-01-09
Swiatek, Robert P.
Animal husbandry
Miscellaneous
128899, A01K 2900
Patent
active
054820081
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an electronic system for identification of ruminant animals, particularly cattle or sheep.
The importance of introducing a national and international system for animal identification was recognised at a seminar "Automatic Electronic Identification Systems for Farm Animals" held at the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate General for Agriculture, in Brussels on Oct. 17-19, 1990. A report of the seminar published by the EC Commission (EUR-13198-EN) indicates that the European Community is interested in the development of electronic identification systems for use in cross-border trade in farm animals and meat, for control of public health, animal health and welfare, fraud prevention and management systems at farm level.
BACKGROUND ART
It is known to implant a coded transponder in farm animals (see for example EP 0,299,557 NEDAP). A transponder is capable of generating an identification signal, e.g. a code, in response to an electromagnetic interrogation field generated by a transmitter/receiver. However an implanted transponder may migrate in the animal, either as the whole transponder or as fragments thereof resulting from breakage of the transponder. At the time of slaughtering it is desirable that each transponder is accounted for, so that misuse is prevented and the risk of migration or loss is overcome. However it is very difficult to recover all implanted transponders, particularly because of the rapid movement of the animals or their carcases in a slaughter house so that there may be insufficient time to retrieve the transponders. There is a risk that a transponder, or residues thereof, may enter the food chain. Furthermore such a transponder does not provide identification of the animal in situations where the appropriate interrogation unit is not available.
In our International Patent Application WO91/10982 we have described an animal ear tag having a cylindrical transponder in a chamber inside the male part of the tag. An identification index encoded in the transponder is also represented visually on the tag. However ear tags are regarded by some Authorities as less than satisfactory because of a risk of damage or loss from external contact or tampering. While we do not agree with this view, we have now investigated other alternative identification systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,632 Hanton et. al. describes an electronic identification system for ruminant animals comprising a transmitter capsule precoded to broadcast a series of binary coded electric pulses peculiar to the animal, the transmitter capsule being designed by adjusting its specific gravity to reside permanently in the animal's second stomach or reticulum. The electronics are encapsulated in a housing of a material which can be accepted physiologically by the animal and yet not be attacked by the other contents in the animal's reticulum. The specification indicates that capsules with specific gravities of approximately 1.7 or greater have been successfully retained and that permanent retention is assured with specific gravities of 2 or greater. In the illustrated embodiment, the electronics and a weight are inserted in a glass housing and the capsule is then evacuated and sealed off. Quartz and fiberglass are also mentioned as suitable materials for the housing.
GB 2,165,723A describes an animal identification device comprising a transponder in the form of an electronically coded bolus which fits inside the animal's reticulum. The components of the transponder are encoded in a cylindrical tube of hard, clear plastics material.
ZA 8,303,599-A discloses an identification system for animals with primary and secondary stomachs which uses a radio transmitter located in the primary stomach and which is coded to identify the animal. The transmitter housing may be an inert plastics material.
The foregoing "bolus" identification systems require the presence of a suitable interrogation unit in order to identify an animal. There is therefore a problem in identifying an animal if death or sl
REFERENCES:
patent: 4262632 (1981-04-01), Hanton et al.
patent: 4750490 (1988-06-01), Haw et al.
patent: 4992794 (1991-02-01), Brouwers
Kilroy Michael M.
Stafford Rodney A.
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