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August
2,
2006
The
following
piece
was
circulated
today
by
the
“Goat
Working
Group”
on
which
NPGA
HER
Committee
Member
Ray
Hoyt
serves.
It
appears
to
be
some
type
of
press
release.
First
Livestock
Tagging
System
to
Win
Government
Approval
for
Program
to
Protect
the
Health
of
U.S.
Livestock.
South
St.
Paul,
MN,
August
1
Digital
Angel
Corporation
(Amex:
DOC
-
News),
an
advanced
technology
company
in
the
field
of
rapid
and
accurate
identification,
location
tracking,
and
condition
monitoring
of
high-value
assets,
announced
today
that
its
electronic
RFID
(radio
frequency
identification)
livestock
tagging
system
has
been
approved
by
the
U.S.
Department
of
Agriculture
(USDA)
for
use
in
the
National
Animal
Identification
System
(NAIS).
Digital
Angel
is
the
first
animal
tag
manufacturer
to
be
designated
as
an
Animal
Identification
(AIN)
tag
manufacturer
by
the
USDA,
which
signifies
that
the
Company’s
tagging
system
is
capable
of
identifying
livestock
with
the
unique,
lifetime
animal
identification
number
that
is
being
established
as
a
national
standard
through
the
NAIS.
The
NAIS,
a
cooperative
program
between
the
state
and
federal
governments
and
livestock
industry
to
help
trace,
manage
and
eradicate
animal
diseases
like
Mad
Cow
Disease,
Foot
and
Mouth
Disease,
Pseudo-Rabies
Disease
and
Porcine
Reproductive
and
Respiratory
Syndrome
in
pigs,
is
being
run
by
the
USDA’s
Animal
and
Plant
Health
Inspection
Service
(APHIS).
APHIS
launched
the
voluntary
NAIS
in
2004
with
the
premises
registration
system
and
is
now
continuing
its
advancement
by
implementing
the
animal
identification
component.
While
USDA
has
established
visual
tags
as
the
minimum
standard
for
some
species,
cattle
for
example,
producers
may
elect
to
use
ear
tags
with
RFID
technology
incased
in
the
official
identification
tags.
“This
is
a
stamp
of
approval
and
an
important
acknowledgement
of
the
integrity
of
our
tagging
system,”
said
Digital
Angel
President
and
CEO
Kevin
N.
McGrath.
“The
USDA
underwent
a
thorough
review
of
our
identification
tags
and
came
away
convinced
that
we
can
produce
livestock
tags
that
are
up
to
its
standards,
but
also
ensure
the
uniqueness
of
the
numbers
attributed
to
individual
animals
that
assist
in
tracking
the
animal’s
origin
and
movement
throughout
its
life.
The
flexibility
to
use
the
AIN
tags
in
other
programs
outside
the
scope
of
NAIS,
like
source
and
age
verification
programs
as
well
as
basic
management
practices,
provides
the
opportunity
for
producers
to
fully
utilize
the
capability
of
our
electronic
ear
tags.”
Digital
Angel,
which
has
been
in
the
livestock
tagging
business
since
1945,
has
developed
a
proprietary
and
comprehensive
RFID
traceability
system
that
includes
electronic
tags
and
scanners
as
well
as
a
related
IT
system
that
can
provide
for
the
identification
and
tracking
of
all
animals
tagged
as
part
of
the
NAIS.
The
target
date
for
having
all
livestock
identified
that
are
covered
in
the
NAIS
guidelines
is
early
2009.
Digital
Angel
sells
its
electronic
tags
under
the
brand
names
e.Tag
™
and
Destron
Combo
e.Tag
™.
About
Digital
Angel
Corporation
Digital
Angel
Corporation
develops
and
deploys
sensor
and
communications
technologies
that
enable
rapid
and
accurate
identification,
location
tracking,
and
condition
monitoring
of
high-value
assets.
Applications
for
the
Company’s
products
include
identification
and
monitoring
of
humans,
pets,
fish,
poultry
and
livestock
through
its
patented
implantable
microchips;
location
tracking
and
message
monitoring
of
vehicles
and
aircraft
in
remote
locations
through
systems
that
integrate
GPS
and
geosynchronous
satellite
communications;
and
monitoring
of
asset
conditions
such
as
temperature
and
movement,
through
advanced
miniature
sensors.
Digital
Angel
Corporation
is
majority-owned
by
Applied
Digital
Inc.
(Nasdaq:
ADSX-News).
For
more
information
about
Digital
Angel,
please
visit
www.DigitalAngelCorp.com.
*
*
*
*
*
The
information
in
the
above
piece
would
give
the
impression
that
eartags,
with
or
without
RFID
implants,
are
the
only
animal
identification
method
on
the
table.
This
is
absolutely
not
the
case.
I
sent
this
press
release
to
Elsie
McCoy,
known
to
many
of
you
as
the
Manager
of
Customer
Service
and
Sales
for
EZID
Animal
ID
(Avid
Microchips)
in
Greeley,
Colorado.
Excerpted
here
are
some
of
her
reactions:
“I
have
talked
with
reps
from
NAIS
who
confirm
the
acceptance
of
microchips
as
well
as
the
tags
and
(who)
understand
ear
tags
are
NOT
the
best
choice
for
all
animals.
They
said
the
first
stage
is
the
ear
tags
because
of
cattle,
but
people
can
choose
what
they
want
as
long
as
they
are
ISO
compatible.”
“…people
need
to
be
educated
that
that
they
do
have
a
choice.
Ear
tags
are
NOT
for
everyone
and
are
not
the
only
choice
of
RFID
that
meet
NAIS
requirements.”
“I
am
concerned
that
a
lot
of
state
vets
are
being
‘led’
in
the
ear
tag
direction
without
completely
understanding
the
whole
concept
and
available
RFID
choices;
and
then
making
state
mandates
on
inadequate
information
that
do
not
meet
the
needs
of
the
people
and
their
animals.”
“You
and
your
organization
and
others
like
you
need
to
keep
speaking
up
and
saying
you
want
and
already
successfully
use
microchips
for
tamperproof,
permanent
identification!
Don’t
stop
speaking
up
or
you
could
be
swept
under
the
rug
for
lack
of
resistance.”
Kay
Orlando,
the
HER
Committee
Chair,
has
provided
the
following
reaction
to
the
above.
“Destron
is
a
competitor
with
AVID.
Their
microchips
emit
a
different
frequency
-
commonly
known
as
ISO
chips.
They
are
used
in
Canada
and
Europe.
At
this
time,
AVID
readers
cannot
read
Destron
chips
or
vice
versa.
I
would
think
that
AVID
would
be
a
strong
ally
in
the
microchip
area.
They
have
a
large
share
of
the
market
and
do
not
want
the
ISO
chips
to
dominate…”
Ray
Hoyt
Member,
NPGA
HER
Committee
NAIS
Coordinator
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