Long term performance of RFID technology in the large scale identification of small ruminants through electronic ceramic boluses: implications for animal welfare and regulation compliance

Animal health and welfare together with technical aspects relating to the RFID based electronic identification (EID) of a total of 114,857 small ruminants, reared in 268 semi-extensive farms, were assessed in Sarda ewes, Sarda and Sarda × Maltese goats, over a period of six years (2006–2011). A multi-purpose investigation was carried out to: (1) monitor the effects on the health and welfare of electronically identified (EID) sheep and goats in farms; (2) support technicians and veterinary practitioners, during fieldwork (decision making) should problems arise relating to EID small ruminants, on a large scale. A coded manual of operations for EID problem solving was drawn up to support an experimental help desk service (HDS). The HDS relied on the technological breakthrough due to the improvement of radiological analysis (digital X-ray): such technology was used to check the performance of the RFID bolus (composed of a RFID device: transponder, and a ceramic case) directly on farms, in relation to its retention and the functioning of the transponder (carrier of the electronic individual code, EIC) in the animal body. The occurrences of administration accidents of the bolus were recorded; undetectable EICs in relation to the different types of devices deployed were listed as: loss, breakage, malfunctioning, doubled code/device fraud. The ceramic boluses currently in use were seen to vary considerably in terms of dimensions (length and width) and mass, as follows (in descending order): 70 mm × 21 mm, 72 g; 70 mm × 18 mm, 70 g; 66 mm × 18 mm, 50 g; 58 mm × 12 mm, 20 g. All kinds of ceramic bolus held an inner transponder (32.5 mm × 3.8 mm, 134.2 kHz), according to ISO standard 11784. Digital X-ray in the field was a useful tool to assess the localization of the transponder/bolus or both in the animals’ body, after ectopic detection or un-detection of the transponder's EIC. Accidents in bolus administration took place in 0.093% of cases, ranging in severity from mild (0.075%: bolus stopped in the oro-pharynx or in the naso-pharynx, X-ray checks are useful in the latter occurrence) to lethal (0.011%: bolus in trachea; 0.007%: oesophageal rupture, found at necropsy). A significant (p < 0.001) loss rate (0.369%) involved both sheep and goats identified by means of a 20 g bolus, whereas the loss rate strongly decreased when 70 g (0.005%) or 72 g (0.002%) bolus was used, observed significantly in goats (p < 0.05)

Rilievi anagrafici individuali durante la mungitura meccanica in capre di razza Sarda: identificazione elettronica (EID) <i>vs</i> marca auricolare (ET) <i>vs</i> tatuaggio auricolare (ETt)

La relazione del Parlamento Europeo del 10.12.2007 ha fatto slittare l’entrata in vigore dell’obbligatorietà (Reg. CE 21/2004) dell’identificazione elettronica degli animali dal 01 gennaio 2008 al 31 dicembre 2009. Tale proroga, dettata dalla prudenza del legislatore comunitario, è giustificata con l’opportunità di poter acquisire ulteriori elementi a sostegno della tesi che il suddetto sistema d’identificazione individuale rappresenti una reale semplificazione anagrafica a favore degli allevatori e delle autorità amministrative. In argomento, gli AA descrivono in questa nota un’esperienza di campo tesa a valutare, in termini comparativi - nelle usuali condizioni di allevamento estensivo della capra da latte in Sardegna - efficacia, efficienza e affidabilità di tre dispositivi di identificazione individuale attualmente in uso (transponder, marca auricolare e tatuaggio auricolare)

Imponente perdita di miniboli per l’identificazione elettronica di capre di razza Maltese

L’impiego dell’identificazione elettronica su larga scala, come avviene in Sardegna nei piccoli ruminanti, offre l’opportunità di verificare praticamente l’eventuale insorgenza di problematiche che coinvolgono gli operatori del settore: in particolare, di affrontare la problematica segnalata, al fine di adottare un protocollo operativo di intervento alle necessità di campo. Nella presente nota, si riporta la segnalazione di una serie di eventi di perdita di miniboli ceramici che vengono utilizzati per l’identificazione degli animali in giovane età

Effect of the transportation on the readability and retention of the endo- reticulum transponder in goats Sarda breed

The authors report the results of an experiment developed with the aim of: a) verify the ceramic bolus retention in goats during the transportation and immediately after; b) verify the transponder readability after the transportation. During the VII goats provincial fair (Sardinia) has been evaluated the tranponder retention and readability of 104 goats. 63 pluriparas and 41 primiparas came from 8 breeding where the whole flock has been electronically identified. The retention and readability of transponder as been verified, immediately before leaving the breed and after coming back in it, using a portable reader (static reading). The animals at the moment of arrival in the fair has been read using a stationary reader supplied by an antenna located at one side of a corridor where the animals were obligated to run through (dynamic reading). No cases of loss or malfunctioning of the identifiers were observed. The readabilty of transponders resulted to be 100% during the three different controls