17th July 2008
MEDIA RELEASE

ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY BETTER FOR LIVESTOCK ID – PRELIMINARY FIELD TRIAL RESULTS

Preliminary field trials indicate that ultra high frequency (UHF) technology would be far more efficient and less costly for electronic identification of livestock than the low frequency (LF) systems currently favoured in New Zealand.

The UHF RFID trials with deer, sheep and cattle resulted in fast and simultaneous identification of multiple animals at high levels of reliability and performance in on-farm and processing facility locations. The trials used UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers.

The results are published by the New Zealand RFID Pathfinder Group Inc; in a report entitled "RFID Technical Study: The application of UHF RFID technology to animal ear tagging in deer, sheep and cattle farming". The RFID Pathfinder Group is a not-for-profit incorporated society formed by several large New Zealand organisations to build understanding of RFID technologies and the economic benefits to this country when these technologies are based on global standards.

Members of The Pathfinder Group conducted the trials, during April and May, to investigate the potential for standardised UHF-based animal ear tags in New Zealand and also to broaden discussion on the alternative use of older LF forms of electronic identification. The trials were conducted at the Totara Hills Deer Farm, Southland, and at the Canterbury Meat Packers (CMP) facility, mid Canterbury, with support from the Totara Hills management team, and from CMP parent company ANZCO Foods. The report is authored by RFID technology specialists Grant Pugh and Erik Sundermann.

RFID Pathfinder Group Chairman Alan Mayo says the trials have great significance for the current National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) project, set up by the government and livestock industry to establish traceability systems based on RFID technologies for animal disease control, supply chain management, food safety and export market access.

"Our results include near 100% readability of animal ear tags under conditions that well exceed the current NAIT requirements," Mr Mayo says. "If LF technology was mandated for deer and cattle identification and traceability without proper investigation of the UHF alternative, our livestock industry could forego substantial benefits in operational efficiency and cost competitiveness."

In the report, the RFID Pathfinder Group recommends further tests be conducted in all weather conditions and a wider set of livestock management scenarios, with the deer, sheep and cattle sectors giving serious consideration to the use of UHF instead of LF -as currently proposed by NAIT.

The report outlines, in general terms, the relative advantages of UHF and LF technologies. The former (operated at frequencies between 860 and 960 MHz) enables excellent tag reading at distances 1.5 - 2 metres, with 100's of tags being read in a second and with very fast data transfer rates. LF (125 to 134 kHz) can generally read only one tag at a time at distances usually measured in centimetres.

Mr Mayo says it is critical to note that the costs of UHF applications of RFID have fallen dramatically in recent years as a consequence of developments in global UHF standards. "Global trends are evident with both UHF tags and readers as the technology matures and heads towards mainstream adoption. By comparison, we see the cost of LF infrastructure remaining relatively static."

The trials were conducted using a variety of commercially available readers and antennae, but with prototype UHF ear tags.

The trials tested the use of UHF tags in relation to the speed of animal movement, capability of reading multiple tags simultaneously, and read ranges and rates. Sample groups of tagged deer, sheep and cattle ran through yard portals of various sizes and with variations in the configuration of reader antennae. Some tests included the animals and their tags being sprayed with water.

Results varied widely across the different testing scenarios but what they showed were consistently high levels of readability and performance. With the sheep, for example, half of 32 test runs resulted in 100% readability of tags.

Copies of the report are available on the NZ RFID Pathfinder Group's website – www.rfid-pathfinder.org.nz

END

Further comment, contact:

The New Zealand RFID Pathfinder Group
The New Zealand RFID Pathfinder was constituted as an Incorporated Society on May 11th, 2006. The group boasts a membership from some of New Zealand's largest organisations. Pathfinder envisages superior economic and competitive performance in New Zealand through the adoption of RFID technologies. The objects of the group are to coordinate and support organisations and individuals involved in the field of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

For more information refer: www.rfid-pathfinder.org.nz

NAIT
The National Animal Identification and Tracing project (NAIT) commenced in July 2006. Its purpose is to develop a universal livestock identification system, supported by a core registry of data linking people, property and animals. The project operates under a Governance Group of industry and Crown representatives including Dairy NZ, Meat & Wool New Zealand, Meat Industry Association, Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, including MAF Biosecurity New Zealand and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Federated Farmers, Deer Industry New Zealand and New Zealand Deer Farmers Association.

For more information refer: www.nait.co.nz