The animal husbandry industry in India and around the world faces several challenges, including livestock loss, epidemics, and communicable diseases in cows, horses, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and other farm animals. There is also an added risk of these animal diseases being transferred to humans. Inflating livestock-keeping costs and a lack of skilled labor in this industry are also challenges.
Under these challenges, leveraging technologies like RFID, IoT, BLE, Wi-Fi, and software solutions to manage animals, keeping track of these animals in real-time, disease control, etc. becomes crucial and it only makes sense to benefit from these technologies that not only save costs in the long run but also offer better profits in animal husbandry and dairying sector in India and around the world.
The use of RFID active and passive tags, Bluetooth beacons, geofencing, and GPS tracking (of transporting vehicles) are some of the technological solutions that are employed by ranchers across northern and southern Americas and European countries and India is not behind.
Let’s explore how RFID can address some of these animal husbandry and dairying issues in India and improve how Indian farmers and milk and meat-producing businesses manage their day-to-day operations.
RFID in Animal Husbandry and Dairying in India
In the United States of America, a mandate was issued to tag various kinds of cattle, such as American beef cattle, bison, and dairy cows, with a small RFID ear tag by January 1, 2023. In India as well, RFID eartags are necessary for tagging cattle to ensure that farm animals are correctly identified, and their immunization is on course, preventing various kinds of animal diseases.
In China too, RFID technology is used in animal husbandry to ensure food safety management and animal tracking with strong support from local governments. Various other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and European Union countries are also using RFID technology (RFID Ear Tags) for livestock tracking.
RFID Ear Tags for Livestock Tracking
The RFID Ear Tags are available in distinct sizes and offer distinct read ranges based on tag design, tag size, operating frequency, and the type of RFID chip being used.
Generally, RFID Low-Frequency Ear Tags are being used across the world. These tags work on an LF-134 KHz frequency and offer a short read range of up to 10cm. These tags are designed slightly bigger and work well in indoor and outdoor conditions. The most common RFID Eartags are made of durable TPU Polyurethane and other plastics.
However, given the benefits UHF RFID or RAIN RFID tags offer, such as long read range and accurate reading with high read rates, UHF RFID EARTags for animal husbandry are also being used in many countries. For both UHF RFID Cattle tags and Low-Frequency RFID Eartags, one can use UHF RFID Handheld and Fixed readers and RFID Antennas.
In the United States, animal ear tags are mandatory for the interstate movement of animals such as cattle and bison as per the regulations by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), USA. These RFID eartags should be visually and electronically readable in order to be recognised as official eartags.
Benefits of RFID Technology in Animal Husbandry and Dairying in India
RFID technology offers several benefits to farmer and dairy businesses across India and the globe. Keeping that in mind, many countries have made it mandatory to tag animals with RFID eartags for cattle.
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1. Improved Tracking with RFID
RFID enables precise identification and tracking of livestock, reducing loss and theft. An RFID-based software system can give real-time updates on livestock at the premises, avoiding loss or theft.
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2. Health Monitoring
Continuous health data collection helps in early disease detection and management. With RFID tagging, it is easier to monitor which animals are monitored for immunization, which have received vaccines, and which have not.
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3. Breeding Management
RFID assists in monitoring breeding cycles and improving genetic selection and management.
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4. Feed Management
Accurate tracking of feeding habits enhances feed efficiency and reduces waste.
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5. Record-keeping
Streamlined data management simplifies record-keeping for individual animals and herds. It helps with keeping data on no. of animals at the premises, outside, vaccinated and unvaccinated animals, animals giving milk, old and young animals, etc.
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6. Labor Efficiency
Automation of routine tasks reduces labor costs and increases productivity. With the rising costs of keeping livestock, it is easier with RFID technology to keep track of animals and ensure timely upkeep.
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7. Regulatory Compliance
RFID supports compliance with government regulations on livestock management.
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8. Stray Animal Management with RFID Eartags
RFID technology is also used for stray animal management in various municipal corporations in India in the states of Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, etc. With RFID Ear Tags on cattle and other pet animals, it is easy to curb the stray menace in metropolitan cities, which is often the cause of road accidents and people being bitten by stray dogs and other animals.
To summarize, RFID technology plays a significant role in the animal husbandry and dairying sector in not just India but across the world. With the strategic placement of RFID readers and antennas across the farm, it is easier to manage livestock while keeping the labor costs to a minimum. With RFID, it is also easier for farmers to manage their herds and ensure proper immunization and disease control. RFID ear tags also help in curbing stray menace in metropolitan cities.
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