Allflex A-Tag: One Piece Cattle Tag

The new Allflex A-Tag provides a cost effective short term identification solution, which is also designed to be high quality visual tag. The A-TAG is designed to be a one piece ear tag, with a self-piercing design.

Allflex is known worldwide as an innovative manufacturer of high quality animal identification products. As an innovative supplier, Allflex is constantly designing and increasing their animal id products. 

With increasing demand from end users for a complete and easy one-piece ear tag, Allflex has created the new A-Tag. Designed and manufactured with high quality plastic, the Allflex A-Tag provides cattlemen with a fast effective high quality identification product. 

The A-Tag is similar in design and easy of application like the popular Z Tag one piece visual tag. 

The new A-Tag is available in three sizes for Feedlot, cow, and calf. Like the traditional Allfex visual tags, the A-Tag is available as a blank tag or with custom printing. 

The main advantage of the Allflex A-Tag is its unique one piece design, also with its self-piercing tip and fast application, the A-Tag causes less stress on the animal and faster healing.   

You can access the Allflex A-Tag datasheet here. 

The new cattle tag is part of the complete portfolio of Allflex animal identification products, that is back by industry knowledge and customer support. 

Copyright (C) 2012 Livestock-ID

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Sask. Government to Fund Cattle Traceability

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has announced it will continue and develop an animal identification incentive program for beef cattle producers. The purpose of the traceability program is to continue, further develop, and maintain the integrity of the Canadian Cattle Traceability program already in place. 

In further development of Canadian beef traceability, the Ministry of Agriculture will also provide special funding to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association to continue testing on cattle tag retention. Tags that are placed on animal’s ear are intended to remain for the life of the animal. Many cattle producers have reported that ear tags do fall out in a short period of time. 

One of the main tagging issues that have been raised by the cattle association had been cattle ear tag retention, and the cost of tag replacements. Ear tag retention is not only associated with CCIA approved ear tags; it deals with all basic visual and feedlot tags as well. 

There is a great article with basic tips on ear tag retention; you can read that article here. 

The overall effort is to continue the traceability program that is in place by the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) and continue the already successful traceability mandate by Canada, and all its stake holders, typically the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. 

Animal Identification remains a high priority in Canada for health purposes, as well as the ability to compete on the global market place for imported beef and livestock. 

Canadian Beef

Canadian cattle traceability is an ongoing effort, which Canada remains committed to, in terms of education, development, and marketing of Canadian Beef abroad. 

Canada and its individual provinces all have incentives of different forms, to help animal identification, from small beef cattle producers, to feedlots, and slaughter houses.

The Livestock-ID blog has several blog posts with direct information and links to the various animal identification incentives and programs, which are beneficial to everyone. 

For Saskatchewan cattle producers, you can contact the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association for more information and assistance on traceability incentives. Resources for all cattle and animal identification within Canada are listed below. 

Animal Identification Resources: 

Improve Cattle Tag Retention 

Saskatchewan Livestock RFID Rebate 

Methods to Mark Visual Ear Tags 

2012 List of CCIA Approved RFID Ear Tags 

2012 List of CCIA Approved RFID Handheld Readers  

Livestock-ID Newsletter 

If you're looking for more resources, search the blog search box, or contact me at anytime. 

(C) Copyright 2012 Livestock-ID Animal Identification Resources

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Methods of Marking Visual ID Ear Tags

Visual ID ear tags have become the most widely used form of animal identification, the cost benefits to a cattle,

sheep or pig producer simply out weight the cost of the tags themselves. The practice of tagging cattle and sheep

has come a long way, since it was first conceived as an option over branding in early 1950.

Visual ID tags have also evolved as technology becomes more advance, and new uses of tags become available.

Tags

come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and forms, each with its own benefits for its particular application.

There are tags designed especially for feedlots, rotary tags for sheep and goats, insecticide tags for cattle,

which provide an additional benefit of horn fly control, which runs rapid within livestock.

There are three main methods of marking visual ear tags; each method has its own benefits and costs.

Hot Foil Stamping:

Hot foil stamping is the most effective process to ensure ear tags retain their visual marking. The process is

done using heat and a press, which gives the tag an impression as well as ink.

This leaves the tag with a permanent form of marking, with the impression of the tag ID on the tag, as well as

the ink.

Laser Printing:

Laser printing of visual tags is another effective and permanent way of marking ear tags. The process is done

with a laser beam heating the tag, which changes the color of the tag material, therefore making a permanent

mark, which is always visible.

Laser-Ink Printing:

This is another process of marking visual tags, that is a patented process from Allflex, which is the same

process as laser printing, with the ink added to the laser etching, which provides more of a permanent mark on

visual or panel ID ear tags.

Self Marking:

Self marking tags, is the most cost effective form of marking a blank visual tag for cattle.  The best practice is to use a

permanent marker, like a Sharpie to mark the visual tag.

Some tag manufactures have their own unique markers, which are recommended; because of the ink formula is

specially made to mark the blank tags. Although a Sharpie can be used as well, it is highly recommended to use

high quality permanent markers, which are formulated to provide additional protection against weather conditions

such as UV rays.

By George Luker © Copyright 2012 Livestock-ID

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CCIA Approved RFID Handheld Readers

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) has a list of approved RFID tags and approved readers for the Canadian livestock industry. Both tags and readers have gone through field testing with pilot projects and are approved for the Canadian climate and requirements of the Canadian cattle industry.

If you’re looking for the official list of CCIA Approved Tags, you can find the list here.

CCIA Approved RFID Handheld Readers:

Aleis 9030 RFID handheld reader, is the most advanced stand alone RFID reader on the market. Any animal event can be entered on the reader, in the field, without the need of a handheld device.
Agrident AIR 100 RFID Reader, is an actual RFID reader module, that easily integrates with a Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro. The AIR 100 Ad-on readers provide a great solution to the Workabout Pro handhelds, where you can use mobile cattle or sheep management software.
Agrident AIR 200 RFID Reader, is the same as the AIR 100 module, with the difference being its telescopic antenna. Agrident has three different versions of their telescopic antenna’s, including a handheld external antenna style stick.
Agrident AWR RFID Stick Reader, is their most rugged RFID stick reader designed to be used in harsh environments. The AWR 200 reader comes with Bluetooth, the AWR 100 reader is just a straight stick reader, with serial connection.
Allflex RS250 RFID Stick Reader, the infamous grey stick, is one of Allflex’s cost effective basic RFID stick reader. The RS250 stick reader, is designed just to read tags, nothing more. If you’re looking for just a reliable reader to scan a tag only, this is the reader.
Allflex RS320-3-60 Yellow Stick is an ISO RFID Stick Reader. The reader comes in two different sizes, with Bluetooth, or basic serial connection. The read has a memory of 5000 tags, its lightweight and ergonomically designed for easy use. The Allflex yellow stick RFID reader is the most popular stick reader on the market.
Destron DTR-4 RFID Reader, also known as the paddle or wand reader, is a reliable reader with an added function, that no other reader has. The DTR-4 comes with Bluetooth, easy to read screen, and has the added function of Bio-Thermo technology, which reads internal temperature of an animal, with the Bio-Thermo LifeChips.
Gallagher Smartreader HR3 RFID Reader, is a lightweight reader, with protective hand guard, and trigger action to read tags. Readers come with Bluetooth, and internal tag memory of 2000 tags. The HR3 has a bright LCD screen at the handle of the reader. Reader is Compatible with Gallagher SmartScale series scales.
I.D. ology Lightning ROD RFID Reader, comes with Bluetooth, LCD screen, and the reader is lightweight. The reader has lightning fast connectivity with devices, and reconnects automatically, if the reader gets in and out of range with the connected device (Computer or Scale).

All CCIA approved RFID handheld readers, read all CCIA Approved RFID tags, which include HDX and FDX-B ear tags, and injectable tags. The approved readers will read all popular RFID / EID ear tags, and leg tags from all major manufacturers, even ones, that are not on the CCIA approved tag list.

The handheld wand and stick readers are all ISO RFID readers, reading the standard EID tag technology of ISO 11784 and 11785

Want more in-depth details on these animal ID readers? Join our Livestock ID newsletter for future issues, which will go into thorough detail on each reader. You can sign-up now here.

Follow us on Twitter for updates. Livestock_ID

By George Luker © Copyright 2011 Livestock-ID

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Cattle EID on the way for the UK

The UK farming industry welcomed the European Commissions’ proposal to move forward with Cattle EID. The EC made the announcement earlier this week on the need for bovine traceability, and also made recommendations for a much needed real time livestock database.

In its proposal the European Commission recommended a voluntary electronic identification system for all cattle. Several European countries currently use a voluntary EID system for ranch management purposes, which also provides an existing platform of identification for movement of bovine through its borders.

Members of the European Union mentioned that an implementation of a fully compliant EID system for cattle in the UK would strengthen the current traceability system for beef cattle and food products; making it faster and with accuracy.

In order to move quickly and give UK cattle producers an incentive to use EID, the EU has urged the UK government to allocated funds for initial grants for EID traceability to the bovine industry. The grants would be needed for cattle producers to purchase the necessary hardware for EID management, which would initially be for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) readers.

Electronic identification (EID) tagging in sheep and goats in the UK has been mandatory since 2010, along with individual recording of each animal.

What is an EID Tag?

EID is an acronym for Electronic Identification, which is a term used for scanning or reading the identification number of an object with an electronic device or EID reader, which works the same way as a barcode scanner.

EID uses RFID as the technology used to read the identification, like a barcode scanner, RFID uses radio frequency to read the identification of a tag.

An EID tag is another term used for RFID tags, in this case an EID ear tag is the same as an RFID button tag or RFID ear tag.

Bovine EID:

Bovine EID would be the next logical step for a complete and accurate traceability system with agricultures most valued commodity.

Bovine EID makes perfect sense in a country, where Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) also known as Mad Cows disease has the highest known cases for the fatal animal disease.

When BSE was discovered in the UK, not only did it cause many deaths directly related from infected cattle, it also created a financial crises on the UK beef cattle industry. At the time of the outbreak, the UK had confirmed more than 180 000 cattle had been diagnosed with BSE, which resulted in an initial slaughter of over 4 million cattle, in an effort to eradicate the disease.

© Copyright 2011 Livestock-ID

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