TOTAL INFORMATION ANALYSIS

Monday, January 19, 2004

From the Northwest Journal-Record [Ill.]

"If we had an animal ID and tracking system that was uniform and nationwide and enforceable, we'd have all those animals by now," said Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America.

Cows' ear tags can also fall out and producers are not required to use the same number.

Because of the added impetus from mad cow, most people in the cattle industry believe the ID system will come soon - they just aren't sure what type of system it will be. The objective is to set up a centralized database that would track the animals . . .

"Animal ID is coming," said Maralee Johnson, executive vice president of the Illinois Beef Association, at a recent IBA meeting held in Freeport.
[...]
The IBA believes the ID system would serve as a uniform, basic framework from which more sophisticated information could later be retrieved.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags maintain an assortment of animal data, including breeding, age and medical history. The information is sent to a computer database through sensors at feed lots, slaughterhouses, or any point in between.

There is also a company, Optibrand Ltd., that has devised a system using retinal scans with positioning chips to identify the cattle. Chips that can be implanted - similar to those used with dogs and cats - are another option.

It is estimated by industry researchers that the RFID tag systems could cost owners of small herds about $25 per head. The cost would drop to about $4 per head in larger herds.

TOTAL INFORMATION ANALYSIS:Note how this also prices out smaller producers, gearing the market toward ConGlomCo cows and their concomitant Illuminati masters.

| Posted at 00:11 | PERMA-LINK |

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