DESTRON FEARING CORPORATION TO BE ACQUIRED BY ALLFLEX USA, INC. FOR $25 MILLION

SO. ST. PAUL, MN – May 9, 2011 – Digital Angel Corporation (OTCBB: DIGA), an advanced technology company in the field of animal identification and emergency identification solutions, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Allflex USA, Inc. to sell its animal identification business, Destron Fearing Corporation, for a purchase price of $25 million.
The cash deal is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Digital Angel Corporation. Closing adjustments, payment of debt and accrued liabilities, escrowed funds and the value of assumed liabilities will reduce the proceeds received from this transaction.
“After exploring all available alternatives and reviewing a number of scenarios with AgriCaptial Corporation, an investment bank hired to evaluate the value of the business and advise the Board of Directors on its strategic options, it was determined that selling Destron Fearing was the best solution to maximize the value of the business for Digital Angel’s stockholders and provide the best opportunity for Destron Fearing employees, partners, and customers,” said Joe Grillo, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Angel Corporation.
Additional information will be available in Form 8-K that Digital Angel will file with the Securities and Exchange commissions within four business days.
A stockholder meeting and vote is expected to be scheduled in June 2011.
About Destron Fearing Corporation and Digital Angel Corporation
Destron Fearing Corporation is a subsidiary of Digital Angel Corporation (OTCBB: DIGA), an advanced technology company in the field of animal identification and emergency identification solutions. Digital Angel Corporation’s products are utilized around the world in such applications as pet identification, using its patented, FDA-approved implantable microchip; livestock identification and herd management using visual and radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags; and global positioning systems (GPS) search and rescue beacons for army, navy and air force applications worldwide. For further information please visit www.destronfearing.com and www.digitalangel.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain “forward-looking” statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Forward-looking statements included in this press release include, without limitation, those concerning expectations regarding the expected benefits of the technology and impact of the new orders on the Company’s financial results. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Additional information about these and other factors that could affect the Company’s businesses is set forth in the Company’s Form 10-K under the caption “Risk Factors” filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 31, 2011, and subsequent filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
Important Additional Information will be Filed with the SEC
This press release may be deemed to be proxy solicitation material in respect of the proposed transaction. In connection with the proposed transaction, Digital Angel Corporation will file or furnish relevant documents, including a proxy statement, concerning the proposed transaction with the SEC. Investors and stockholders of Digital Angel Corporation are urged to read the proxy statement and other relevant materials when they become available because they will contain important information about Digital Angel Corporation and the proposed transaction. The final proxy statement will be mailed to Digital Angel Corporation stockholders.
Investors and stockholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and any other relevant documents filed or furnished by Digital Angel Corporation with the SEC (when available) at the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Digital Angel Corporation by going to the SEC Filings website portion of Digital Angel Corporation’s website at www.digitalangel.com/sec.php.
Digital Angel Corporation and its directors and certain executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Digital Angel Corporation stockholders in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Digital Angel Corporation and their respective interests in Digital Angel Corporation by security holdings or otherwise will be set forth in the proxy statement that will be filed by Digital Angel Corporation with the SEC. Stockholders may obtain additional information regarding the interests of Digital Angel Corporation and its directors and executive officers in the merger, which may be different than those of Digital Angel Corporation stockholders generally, by reading the proxy statement and other relevant documents regarding the merger, when filed with the SEC. Each of these documents is, or will be, available as described above.

How many species of animals can be microchipped?

Many species of animals have been microchipped, including cockatiels and other parrots, horses, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, miniature pigs, rabbits, deer, ferrets, penguins, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, frogs, rare fish, mice, and prairie dogs -- even whales and elephants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses microchipping in its research of wild bison, black-footed ferrets, grizzly bears, elk, white-tailed deer, giant land tortoises and armadillos.

Animal microchips of Doowa have used on cattle, goats,sheep,dog ,cat and sturgeon.

Since 2005, our products have been working well.

United States Animal Identification Plan

United States Animal Identification Plan (USAIP) — Officials from approximately 70 animal industry organizations and government agencies have been working since early 2002 on a plan for a national system to identify that might follow food animals from birth to slaughter. The primary purpose is to trace animals back from slaughter through all premises within 48 hours of an animal disease outbreak, in order to determine the disease’s origin and to contain it quickly. The plan calls for recording the movement of individual animals or groups of animals in a central database or in a seamlessly linked database infrastructure.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is to coordinate animal ID activities in cooperation with state animal health authorities and producers for disease tracking purposes. Congressional interest in animal ID intensified after a cow with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered in the United States in December 2003. USDA in 2004 accelerated work on animal ID, and is incorporating major elements of the USAIP into what it has termed the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Among the issues in establishing a national program are privacy of producer records, implementation cost and who should pay, and whether animal ID should be mandatory or voluntary.

Doowa RFID supply one step solution for animal identification, it will be more workable prices, more excellent quality and more prompt delivery.

Pet-licence fees increase

Watch your mail for a reminder to renew your pet's licence this month.

Licences for dogs and cats for 2011 are available now. It costs $100 to license a non-sterilized dog or cat, $20 for a sterilized cat and $25 for a sterilized dog.

Those costs are up from last year. The non-sterilized rate is up by $40 and the sterilized rates are each up by $5.

The increases will be used to pay for animal control and impound services performed by the Regina Humane Society on behalf of the city, according to a city media release.

Pet licences are available at City Hall, the humane society and veterinary offices.

Licensing pets helps to reduce the number of stray and nuisance animals, according to the city.

Pets can also be returned safely if caught running at large or if found injured. Even "stay-at-home" pets can escape through an open door or window.

Fines start at $100 for owners if their dog or cat is caught running at large.

If sterilized licensed pets are found running at large, they will be released to their owners without charge once each year. If they are unlicensed, there is an extra fine starting at $150.

Even if your cat or dog already has an identifying tattoo or microchip, it still needs to be licensed. Remember to supply the tattoo or microchip number when you purchase the licence.

It is also important to update information on your pet if you have moved, sterilized your pet or your pet is no longer with you. Licences are non-transferable between owners and pets.

Microchip implant (animal)

A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

The use of externally attached microchip devices such as RFID ear tags (piercings rather than implants) is another, related method commonly used for identifying farm and ranch animals other than horses. In some cases the external microchips may be readable on the same scanner as the implanted style.

Histroy of Ear tag

Although ear tags were developed as early as 1913 as a means to identify cattle when testing for tuberculosis, the significant increase of use of ear tags appeared with the outbreak of BSE in UK. Today, ear tags in a variety of designs are used throughout the world on many species of animal to ensure traceability, to help prevent theft and to control disease outbreaks.

The first ear tags were primarily steel with nickel plating. After World War II, larger, flag-like, plastic tags were developed in the United States. Designed to be visible from a distance, these were applied by cutting a slit in the ear and slipping the arrow-shaped head of the tag through it so that the flag would hang from the ear.

In 1953, the first two-piece, self-piercing plastic ear tag was developed and patented. This tag, which combined the easy application of metal tags with the visibility and colour options of plastic tags, also limited the transfer of blood-borne diseases between animals during the application process.

Some cattle ear tags contain chemicals to control insects such as buffalo fly etc. Metal ear tags are used to identify the date of regulation shearing of stud and show sheep. Today, a large number of manufacturers are in competition for the identification of world livestock population.

The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a list of manufacturers approved to sell ear tags in the USA for the National Animal Identification System.

The International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) controls the issue electronic tag numbers.

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia's system for tracing cattle, sheep and goats from birth to slaughter.

RFID enables buyer to know cattle history

Due to increased exports and diminishing cattle supply, the demand for source and age verified cattle are constantly growing, according to the Cattle Network. With that in mind, producers who wish to continue making money are faced with the dilemma of a need for method of verifying their cattle so that they can continue to remain in business.

The folks at AngusSource have developed a solution that will allow you to do just that. It’s Process Verified Program (PVP), Gateway that offers producers the ability to verify only the source and age of their calves.

Various options are available such as the RFID PCT tag, which is designed to meet the RFID requirements of marketing outlets, within a single tag. Or producers have the option to combine the connivance of RFID PCT with a visual tag for enhanced identification with the RFID ChoiceSet tag.

Producers may custom-print a management number on each visual tag free of charge. For a small additional fee, producers may also custom-print their logo, brand, name and/or phone number on the back of visual tags. Customization is not expected to cause any delays in the manufacturing process.

In the United States all tag options are available with a traditional 15-digit unique animal number or a National Animal Identification System “840” option.

Doowa technology provide the ear tag complied with these standards

What is RFID Ear Tag

An ear tag is a plastic or metal object used for identification of domestic livestock and other animals. If the ear tag contains an RFID module conforming to ISO 11784 & 11785, then it is called an Electronic Ear Tag.

An ear tag usually carries an individual identification number or code for the animal, or for its herd or flock. This identification number (ID) may be assigned by some national organisations (usually in the form of Property Identification Code, or PIC), or they may be handwritten for the convenience of the farmer ("management tags"). The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) of Australia regulations require that all cattle be fitted with a RFID device in the form of an ear tag or rumen bolus before movement from the property and that the movement be reported to the NLIS. However, if animals are tagged for internal purposes in a herd or farm, IDs need not be unique in larger scales. The NLIS now also requires sheep and goats to use an ear tag that has the Property Identification Code inscribed on it. These ear tags and boluses are complemented by transport documents supplied by vendors that are used for identification and tracking. A similar system is used for cattle in the European Union, each bovine animal having a passport document and tag in each ear carrying the same number. Sheep and goats in the EU have one or two tags carying the official number of their flock (however, individual numbers are to be introduced from the end of 2009).

An ear tag can be applied with an ear tag applicator (also called pliers), however there are also specially-designed tags that can be applied by hand. Depending on the purpose of the tagging, an animal may be tagged on one ear or both. If there exists a national animal identification programme in a country, animals may be tagged on both ears for the sake of increased security and effectiveness, or as a legal requirement. If animals are tagged for internal purposes, usually one ear is tagged. Australian sheep and goats are required to have visually readable ear tags printed with a Property Identification Code (PIC). They are complemented by movement documents supplied by consignors that are used for identification and tracking.

Very small ear tags are available for laboratory animals such as mice and rats. They are usually sold with a device that pierces the animal's ear and installs the tag at the same time. Lab animals can also be identified by other methods such as ear punching or notching (also used for livestock; see below), implanted RFID tags (mice are too small to wear an ear tag containing an RFID chip), and dye.

Long Lifespan of a Microchip

The microchip itself contains no internal battery but is powered by energy it receives from the scanner or reader. As such they enjoy an exceptionally long lifespan that far exceeds the life of the animal.

Universal Pet Microchip Scanner Needed

Using microchips to recover lost pets is a great idea. However, the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families reports that many pet microchips can only be read by a scanner from the same company that created the chip. This is because the companies have used encryption technology on the implanted chips. Therefore, a universal scanner is needed that can read all kinds of pet chips. John Snyder, senior director of companion animals and equine protection with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said, "If the United States does not adopt a global scanner, pet owners run the risk of losing the beloved pet that the microchip is supposed to protect." The Coalition reports that the United States is one of the few countries that does not have universal scanning of pet chips in place:

In Europe and Canada, the animal welfare community already employs a scanner that can read all chips. And, consequently, the rate of pets returned to their owners is dramatically greater. For example, in the United Kingdom, where a scanner that can read all chips is in place, 47 percent of lost dogs are returned to their families -- that's more than twice the current rate of return in the United States!

Cybortra provide high quality microchip scanner, please view details click here

How to Implant Animals Microchip

A microchip implant for animals is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID technology..

Tattooing is another, older method for identifying animals.

Uses and benefits

Microchips have been particularly useful in the return of lost pets. They can also assist where the ownership of an animal is in dispute.

Animal shelters and animal control centers benefit from microchipping by more quickly and efficiently returning pets to their owners. When a pet can be quickly matched to its owner, the shelter avoids the expense of housing, feeding, providing medical care, and outplacing or destroying the pet. Microchipping is becoming increasingly standard at shelters: many require all outplaced animals to receive a microchip, and provide the service as part of the adoption package.

In addition to shelters and veterinarians, microchips are used by kennels, breeders, brokers, trainers, registries, rescue groups, humane societies, clinics, farms, stables, animal clubs and associations, researchers and pet stores. Animal control officers are also trained and equipped to scan animals.

System of recovery

Effective pet identification and recovery depends on the following:

• A pet owner either adopts a pet at a shelter that microchips some or all adoptee animals, or the owner with an existing pet brings it to a veterinarian (or a shelter) that provides the service.
  
• The shelter or vet selects a microchip from their stock, makes a note of that chip's unique ID, and then inserts the chip into the animal.
  
• Before sending the animal home, the vet or shelter performs a test scan on the animal. This helps ensure that the chip will be picked up by a scanner, and that its unique identifying number will be read correctly.
  
• An enrollment form is completed with the chip number, the pet owner's contact information, the name and description of the pet, the shelter's and/or veterinarian's contact information, and an alternate emergency contact designated by the pet owner. (Some shelters or vets, however, choose to designate themselves as the primary contact, and take the responsibility of contacting the owner directly. This allows them to be kept informed about possible problems with the animals they place.) The form is then sent to the manufacturer of the chip to be entered into its database. This company typically provides not only the microchips, but a 24-hour, toll-free telephone service for pet recovery, good for the life of the pet.
  
• The pet owner is also provided the chip ID and the contact information of the recovery service. This is often in the form of a collar tag imprinted with the chip ID and the recovery service's toll-free number, to be worn by the animal.
  
• If the pet is lost or stolen, and is found by local authorities or taken to a shelter, it is scanned during intake to see if a chip exists. If one is detected, authorities call the recovery service and provide them the ID number, the pet's description, and the location of the animal. If the pet is wearing the collar tag, anyone who finds the pet can call the toll-free number, making it unnecessary to involve the authorities. (The owner can also preemptively notify the recovery service directly if a pet disappears. This is useful if the pet is stolen, and is taken to a vet who scans it and checks with the recovery service.)
  
• The recovery service notifies the owner that the pet has been found, and where to go to recover the animal.

Many veterinarians perform test scans on microchipped animals every time the animal is brought in for care. This ensures the chip still performs properly. Vets sometimes use the chip ID as the pet's ID in their databases, and print this number on all outgoing paperwork associated with its services, such as receipts, test results, vaccination certifications, and descriptions of medical or surgical procedures

Components of a microchip
Microchips are passive, or inert, RFID devices and contain no internal power source. They are designed so that they do not act until acted upon.

Three basic elements comprise most microchips: A silicon chip (integrated circuit); a core of ferrite wrapped in copper wire; and a small capacitor. The silicon chip contains the identification number, plus electronic circuits to relay that information to the scanner. The ferrite -- or iron -- core acts as a radio antenna, ready to receive a signal from the scanner. The capacitor acts as a tuner, forming a LC circuit with the antenna coil.

These components are encased in special biocompatible glass made from soda lime, and hermetically sealed to prevent any moisture or fluid entering the unit. Animals are not affected physically or behaviorally by the presence of a chip in their bodies.

Implant location
In dogs and cats, chips are usually inserted below the skin at the back of the neck, between the shoulder blades on the dorsal midline. The chip can often be manually detected by the owner by gently feeling the skin in that area. It stays in place as thin layers of connective tissue form around the biocompatible glass which encases it.

Horses are microchipped on the left side of the neck, half the distance between the poll and withers, and approximately one inch below the midline of the mane, into the nuchal ligament.

Birds' microchips are injected into their breast muscles. Because proper restraint is necessary, the operation requires two people -- an avian veterinarian and a trained assistant.

RFID For Pet Management System

1. Functions

* Pet Identification
Every pet chip has a Unique Identification Code, the Code in the chip can be used as a life-long electronic identification for the pet because the chip can work more than 30 years. The officers of the Pet Regulatory Departments or veterinarians of the pet hospital can obtain the information about the pet’s identification or annual inspection immediately through scanning the part where the chip is implanted with a hand-hold reader. The officer or veterinarian can call out the electronic record of pet from central database by inputting identification code of pet to acquire the basic information, such as its name, category, sex, birth date, physical feature as well as its owner’s name and contact.
* Quarantine Information searching
Information that the pet is injected vaccine can be searched.
* Pet tracking searching
If the pet is missing, the owner can release information about the lost pet on the web . In this way the owner can look for his pet via Internet. Staff from shelter for stray pet can also use the pet chip to inquire the information about pet’s owner and post information if they have found and kept the pet.

2. System structure
RFID pet identification management system is composed of software system and hardware system. The former system is composed of central database management software and terminal management software, which is used to perform the management, entry and transmission of pet information. The latter system is composed of pet chip, reader, reading and writing equipment, data sever, performing pet data collection, identification and transmission.

3. Terminal operation mode
A. Implant the chip underneath the skin of the animal
B. Read data by a reader
C. Build an electronic record and submit it to the central database

To learn more on how DOOWA RFID can help you manage your animals for greater profit and less risk; please contact us at info@doowa-rfid.com.

RFID Solutions for Parking Control Systems

It is a jungle out there. An asphalt jungle. Parking lot operators, whether public or private, face a number of challenges such as:

* accurately identify and authorize vehicle movement

* collect and record vehicle movement data

* analyze traffic patterns to maximize facility utilization

* increase security within the parking facility

* manage staffing for peak traffic periods

* relieve congestion

* improve customer service

Function description:
This system has the following detailed functions:
1. Easily used
2. Flexible
3. Long life
4. Exact identification of internal car, external car an special car
5. Real time charging of parking fee and other relevant fees to increase profit
6. Charging customer of long parking period in advance
7. Prevent the event of charging rejection
8. Prevent event of non legal charge
9. Automatic design, fast entry and exit of car
10. Save expense of management of the parking area, improving working efficiency and economical benefit

Basic function and characteristic:

1. Water proof, anti-static, anti-magnetic,no scrape,large data volume, high encryption and multi-function

2. Free of contact, convenient operation

3. Optimize the management of budget, automatically generate various report

4. Automatically distribute card for temporary car, decrease human operation

5. Special car ID recording and displaying system, greatly increase the function of anti-theft

6. Automatically indicate while the card is not enough

To learn more on how DOOWA RFID can help you manage your animals for greater profit and less risk; please contact us at info@doowa-rfid.com.

RFID For Livestock and Poultry management Solutions

With the global economy is booming it is becoming increasingly apparent that this boom can also cause serious problems by spreading disease from one country to another by accident.
This growing number of countries exporting animals to other countries has led to the establishment of record keeping standards that use RFID as the main identification.
While some countries have not yet adopted the ISO (International Standards Organization) 11784, 11785 and 14223-1 for animal tracking, countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, Europe and others have. As a direct result of this adoption any country wishing to export animals to these countries must have proper tracking and tracing records which mandate the use of RFID.
Using a unique numbered RFID tag provides a very efficient method of identifying animals and collecting data far more quickly. Each unique RFID tag can be linked to a database that includes that animal’s specific information such as date of birth, inoculations, breeding specifics such as blood relation, and more.

1. Functions
* Identity identification for livestock and poultry
Every electronic tag or foot ring has a Unique Identification Code, and the chip has a lifespan of over thirty years, therefore, the code stored in the chip can be used as a life-long electronic identification for the livestock or poultry. Just by scanning the tag with a hand-hold reader or a fixed reader, the manager can acquire identity information of the livestock or poultry, and call out its electronic records from the central database by entering this identification code.
* Livestock and Poultry quarantine and health information search
Information on vaccination, epidemic disease and health can be inquired through this system.
* Scientific rearing and species optimization
The system can supervise the living situation of the livestock or poultry. Therefore, real-time examination of the body condition and feeding condition of the livestock or poultry can be conducted, which paves the way for scientific rearing as well as strengthening lineage management, controlling close breeding and promoting species optimization.
* Epidemic situation control and food sanitation supervision
Electronic ear tag or foot ring tracking system is a key measure for supervision source of harmful food. It can detect epidemic situation, epidemic-stricken area and epidemic individual timely and effectively, and provide animal supervision department with basis for controlling the epidemic situation effectively.

2. System structure
The system is composed of hardware system and software system. The former system is composed of electronic tag, reader, and computer, performing data collection and information transmission. The latter system is mainly composed of terminal software, and database software, performing information entry, management and analysis.

3. Terminal operation mode
* Fix the electronic ear tag or foot ring to the livestock or poultry with specialized tool
* Read information with hand-hold reader
* Build electronic records and submit it to the central database

For livestock and other large animals we recommend our external FDX-B Ear Tag which provides read rates that are twice as fast as the HDXS tags. These cost effective external Ear Tags can be read by either our Compact Flash HDX-B reader that is easily inserted into any portable computer or PDA that has a compact flash slot. While this is a very useful reader for occasional reading our HDX-B paddle or HDX-B wand readers are hardier and provide additional features and functions that are not available on the CF HDX-B reader.
The Ear Tags require the Ear Tag Tagger to correctly pierce and insert the Ear Tags.
For smaller animals we recommend the bio-glass injectable tag. This injectable tag is available in both 125 kHz. and 134.2 kHz frequencies.
To learn more on how DOOWA RFID can help you manage your animals for greater profit and less risk; please contact us at info@doowa-rfid.com.

IDTechEx: RFID Apparel Market to Grow 70% Annually

Research firm IDTechEx has published a new report on the market for RFID from the apparel sector of the retail industry, putting some numbers to an area of adoption that has clearly been gaining momentum over the last 12 to 18 months. In Apparel RFID 2008-2018, IDTechEx estimates that RFID spending on apparel will be $68 million this year, representing 38 percent of the total worldwide RFID spend for the retail sector. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm predicts that figure will rise to $988 million in 2013, an impressive 71 percent compound annual growth rate. Apparel tagging, writes IDTechEx Chairman Peter Harrop in an article about the report, "is now emerging as the first major application of RFID in retail, with a strong business case."
On a per-end user basis, apparel adoption is pretty well distributed around the regions of the world. Japan and the US each account for 23 percent of apparel RFID end users, with Germany at 14 percent, Italy at 7 percent, and China at 6 percent. IDTechEx notes that there is a different theme to apparel deployments in Eastern countries versus those in the West: because so much of the world's apparel is manufactured in Asia, apparel deployments there are often led by manufacturers. By contrast, retailers are leading apparel deployment in the West.
Two such examples are the UK's Marks & Spencer and Germany's METRO Group. The former will account for a whopping 75 percent of the projected 200 million RFID tags purchased in 2008 for apparel deployments, according to IDTechEx. Marks & Spencer is on track to tag its entire annual inventory of 350 million apparel items by 2010. IDTechEx estimates that the retailer is achieving a return on their investment in 12 months thanks to reduced out-of-stocks. Even better, Marks & Spencer is currently not reading tags at checkout, which leaves still more room for value creation from the technology. "The company has bought more RFID tags than any other retailer or consumer goods company (CPG) in the world," writes IDTechEx.
For its part, METRO has been one of the highest profile RFID deployments in the world. It made a big splash last fall with the announcement of a fully integrated item-level system that tracks men's apparel items from the METRO distribution center, through the dock door, at the receiving portals of the Kaufhof retail store, as they pass from the back room to the store floor, throughout the store floor (on display tables, in the dressing rooms, and at kiosks), all the way to checkout.

Why is apparel such a hot application for RFID? First, the value of individual apparel products is typically high enough to justify the cost of an RFID tag. Second, compared with other retail products that include RF-unfriendly liquid or metal, clothing is RF-friendly and therefore much easier to design an RFID system around.

Five Years Later, National Animal I.D. Program Still Struggles for Final Outline

Charlene M. Shupp
Espenshade
Special Sections Editor

 

LANCASTER, Pa. — When the U.S.’s first case of mad cow disease or BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) was discovered on Christmas Eve 2003, suddenly a national animal identification program rose to top priority for animal health. In the years since, the national program has struggled in its efforts to meet the needs of consumers and producers.

Steve Hershey, a dairy farmer from Manheim, addressed the April Agriculture Issues Forum here last week on how new animal identification technology has benefited his farm and where the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS, is at today.

Hershey told the audience at the Farm and Home Center that since his childhood days on the family’s century-old dairy farm he has been a lover of animal records. In a time before computers, he tracked the production of his father’s cows by plotting the monthly production records on a graph. He said the first drive for animal identification came in the form of a visible identification to avoid cheating on milk testing and brucellosis testing.

The identification solution was the small metal tags that grace cow’s ears. The problem was the cows could lose the tags easily and they were hard to read.

Also, there was not a sound record keeping system of what farms were issued what numbers. If a problem arose in a slaughterhouse, the only information that could be verified was the state where the cow was born.

The Hershey family moved to RFID (radio frequency I.D.) tags in 2004 as part of a pilot project from DHIA.

“Animal tracking is something of a concern worldwide,” Hershey said. “Especially in America because of how much animals move.”

To highlight the importance of accurate tracking, he cited a hypothetical example of a diseased animal at the Farm Show that is not discovered until after the show and all the animals have returned to their farms or moved to the next event.

Since the first case of BSE, animal tracking has had mixed results. The first BSE cow’s herdmates and offspring were relatively easily found through tags. However, two subsequent cases in the U.S. were not as easily tracked because of the failure of sound recordkeeping at the farm.

The plan was to give every animal location a premises identification number and the animals RFID tags so the U.S. and state agriculture departments could perform a traceback on all diseased animals within 48 hours.

However, as Hershey has found out, the issue has struck an emotional chord with some livestock and horse owners. Most people he said are mainly concerned with privacy. It’s a concern he believes is misguided.

“We need to make sure that people get the correct information” about NAIS, he said, noting that much of the information on the Internet regarding the proposed programs is incorrect. However, if people are performing a simple search it could be the misleading information that they read and base their opinions on.

Hershey concluded there are legitimate concerns out there and that armers need to be upfront and address them.

“Let’s just face it, there is no such thing as privacy in America anymore,” he said. His take home message about technology is how the information is used. The RFID tags, he said, utilize the same computer scanning technology as the Easy Pass System on the Turnpike. The turnpike commission is considering ticketing Easy Pass users that reach their destination “too fast” based on the mileage traveled. A recent lawsuit by a Pittsburgh couple claimed that a satellite imaging program has reduced the value of the home — however, anyone can go to the county assessor’s Website and search their address and discover the price paid for the house and the county’s rating on the residence.

While Pennsylvania has a premises ID program, the overall national program has stalled. Species have been broken down, Hershey said, with cattle receiving the highest priority; goats, swine and chickens medium priority, and horses and sheep low priority.

USDA “has backed off on their animal ID program. It is not as ambitious,” he said. Instead of forcing a farm to use RFID tags, they are asking for an animal identification program that enables a tracking of animals either by metal tags, breed association ID or RFID.

Technology in identification will be driven not by animal tracking, but by herd management needs, according to Hershey. RFID tags can help farmers with tracking cow production, sorting and recordkeeping.

RFID's Elusive Market - FromKrystin Stafford 04.21.08, 2:40 PM ET

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been widely acknowledged to have the potential to significantly change the consumer packaged goods industry. The reality has yet to live up to the high expectations. Could 2008 be the year?

RFID is wireless technology that links "tags" (transponders) with "readers" (receivers). The tags contain information that can be read by a reader in range. For example, if you flip through a new book, a small, shiny square may fall out from between the pages; were someone to walk out of the store without paying, that little square--an RFID tag--could alert the staff.

In 2003, Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) mandated that its largest suppliers put RFID tags on cases and pallets. Pundits expected the consumer packaged goods industry to quickly adopt the technology, both to benefit from RFID use in supply chain management and to maintain standing with retailers.

However, results were not as expected. Wal-Mart installed RFID in distribution centers more slowly than anticipated, and some suppliers voiced concerns about the expense of RFID and the low returns associated with the investment. Five years after the mandate, Wal-Mart's RFID efforts have shifted focus. Widespread adoption of RFID in the consumer packaged goods industry isn't likely to occur until a sufficient value proposition emerges. This value proposition is likely to be found where the expectations are highest, using RFID to track each individual item in the supply chain by acting as a high-tech bar code.

Recall that bar codes themselves were a significant technological innovation. The bar code system took decades to be adopted, yet today it is pervasive. Retailers such as Wal-Mart have good reason to push for RFID use--they stand to benefit significantly from it. Whether for loss prevention or to enhance the consumer experience, retailers have clear jobs-to-be-done for which RFID is a solid solution, and therefore they have an incentive to adopt the technology.

As for consumer packaged goods, the lower margins and higher volume of most consumer packaged goods do not easily allow for the expense of RFID on an item-level basis. That is, the value proposition for the consumer packaged goods industry to use RFID for item-level supply chain management is not yet sufficient. Other challenges have included technological issues, high start-up costs, and issues associated with network effects. For example, the "good enough" bar for RFID applications was initially quite high. Getting the tag and reader advanced enough to perform at the necessary level has taken considerable time and resources.

However, the main challenge to widespread adoption of RFID technology is network effects. While RFID can be used without substantial networking infrastructure, its real benefits come from software functionality and applications in a network. This means software must be further developed and significant financial investments made to create the infrastructure needed to support the widespread use of RFID technology.

Another network-effects challenge is that RFID technology becomes more effective as networks grow, which will reduce costs and create more cohesive, comprehensive networks. However, because RFID has not been widely adopted and the networks are not robust, it does not make sense to some to adopt RFID yet.

It is hard to imagine that RFID will not one day be a global standard for supply-chain management. However, in the short term, different uses and more attractive value propositions continue to emerge. These include the kinds of low-end applications typical of early-stage technological innovations--such as using RFID to track promotional displays to ensure proper placement and display times--applications where "good enough" gets the job done. These lower-tech applications are also less sensitive to network effects and could even serve as a catalyst for RFID to move into the mainstream in the consumer packaged goods industry in the future.

Will the right conditions be in place in 2008 for RFID to take off in the consumer packaged goods industry? Most likely not. In 2008 we are more likely to see RFID continue to expand in lower-tech applications that may help move it into the consumer packaged goods mainstream in future years. The lesson: New technologies rarely achieve immediate industry-wide adoption, and in fact, many never achieve it at all. A more effective initial approach for new technologies can be finding niche applications that can serve as a beachhead for expansion into larger markets.

Microsoft Broadens RFID Integration

The company's latest BizTalk RFID software aims to foster management and integration of RF-based applications across the enterprise.

 

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) this week unwrapped a beta version of BizTalk RFID Mobile for developing mobile applications in a variety of business sectors.

The new platform contains multiple, compatible technologies and development tools to help customers develop applications for existing systems, Microsoft said Thursday. Its partners for BizTalk RFID Mobile include Intermec Technologies, Motorola, Psion Teklogix, Samsung, and Unitech, according to Burley Kawasaki, director of product management in the Connected Systems Division at Microsoft.

While the new RFID development environment is in private beta now, it's expected to be generally available by the end of the year.

Microsoft also unveiled Thursday the BizTalk RFID Standards Pack, for customers to seamlessly integrate their RFID solutions with Electronic Product Code (EPC) global ratified standards, including Tag Data Translator (TDT) and Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) standards.

"Microsoft BizTalk RFID Mobile underscores the company's long-term commitment to deliver extensive service-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process management (BPM) capabilities as part of the overall Microsoft application platform," the vendor said, in a statement.

BizTalk Server 2006 R2, Microsoft's SOA and BPM technology, handles certain RFID functions, including device management, data filtering and business rules, electronic data interchange, and is interoperable with line-of-business adapters. BizTalk RFID Mobile used jointly with BizTalk Server 2006 R2 extends RFID business processes to Windows CE and Windows Mobile 5.0 applications, the vendor said.

These sorts of hybrid combinations are a natural for Microsoft and its customers, according to John Fontanella, VP of research at AMR Research. "The ability to operate at the edge in real time opens up opportunities that can only further enhance RFID's value," he said, in a statement.

Airbus Trials Showing Strong Results

The aircraft manufacturer has decided to permanently roll out an RFID application for tracking jigs, and has also launched other RFID pilots for tracking work orders and tools.

By Mary Catherine O'Connor
April 16, 2008—Airbus has decided to permanently roll out one of the many RFID applications it had been testing in recent months, says Carlo K. Nizam, the company's head of value-chain visibility and RFID. According to Nizam, Airbus has also begun two other RFID technology trials.

The RFID application the aircraft manufacturer is deploying tracks the location of the large metal frames, known as jigs, that it uses to transport large aircraft sections between a total of 13 manufacturing and assembly facilities. Workers employ a cargo loader to move a jig onto and out of a huge cargo aircraft, dubbed the Beluga because it resembles a whale.

To load parts onto the Beluga, workers use transport frames known as jigs.

Airbus launched a pilot program last year at an assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany, in which an RFID interrogator mounted on the cargo loader collects the unique identifier encoded to a passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tag attached to each jig . In back-end software, the company associates the tag's identifier with the part or parts being delivered on the jig.
The system is intended to provide Airbus with quick access to the jigs' location, based on their most recent tag reads. Because each jig is designed to accommodate a specific airplane part, it needs to be promptly unloaded and returned to the proper facility according to a tight manufacturing timetable. If not, Nizam says, the delay could negatively impact an aircraft's production schedule.
"In the past, we've had little visibility about what was where," Nizam says regarding the jigs. Previously, he notes, the company had only used manual methods—sometimes as rudimentary as a worker walking out to a storage area—to determine the frames' locations.

"We were very happy with results of the Hamburg pilot," Nizam says, "so management gave approval to move forward" and deploy the technology permanently. This deployment will begin at the Hamburg location, then expand to the 12 other facilities to which the Beluga delivers aircraft sections and subassemblies. Airbus is attaching tags from Intermec and Confidex to the jigs, as well as mounting EPC Gen 2 interrogators made by Feig Electronic to the cargo loaders.
According to Nizam, Airbus also recently launched two other RFID-based technology pilots. One trial is aimed at evaluating the use of RFID for tracking work orders, replacing a method that currently involves a combination of bar-code scanning and manual data entry. The company hopes using RFID can both help employees more quickly confirm each step in the process, and also make it easier to locate assembly parts and accompanying paperwork in storage in the event of production changes.

Carlo K. Nizam

Airbus is employing passive RFID Gen 2 hardware for the pilot, attaching the tags to the work order documents. The firm began the pilot early this year and plans to continue running it until mid-May. At that point, it will decide whether to deploy the system on a permanent basis. A second pilot, which commenced in January at an Airbus facility in Broughton, England, is a tool-tracking application. For this project, Airbus is employing a combination of passive RFID Gen 2 and active Wi-Fi real-time location technology.
"We are looking to see if RFID-enabled processes improve the handling of tools," Nizam says, citing three specific applications within tool tracking. One is an automated means of checking RFID-tagged tools into and out of a storage facility, intended to track the location of tools, as well as the person or group using them. Another application uses RFID tags attached to tools to locate the tools within a facility. And the third involves the use of RFID to track each tool's usage, to establish its maintenance and calibration schedule.
Presently, Nizam explains, tools are put through maintenance and calibration steps based on a calendar, regardless of how often they are used. "One tool might be used 50 times in one month," he says, "and another tool [of the same type] might be used 100 times in that same month. If we know this information, then we can maintain and calibrate tools when they need it, rather than per a time basis, and this will save us time and money."

The tool-tracking pilot will run until July, Nizam indicates, at which point the company will decide whether to deploy the system permanently. Airbus believes there are many other areas within operations that could benefit from RFID, including parts lifecycle tracking, but Nizam says the firm has not yet begun any formal testing of RFID in these areas.
To help it implement its various RFID deployment and pilot projects, the aircraft manufacturer recently signed a multimillion-dollar, multiyear contract with enterprise software firm IBM and RFID software and application provider OATSystems.
The OATSystems RFID data management and asset-tracking software will run on IBM's WebSphere RFID device-management and data-filtering software. Martin Wildberger, IBM's VP of RFID solutions, says a flexible architecture makes WebSphere attractive to Airbus because the software can reside either directly on an intelligent RFID reader or on a separate server—depending on the business application—or it could be used in combination with a reader networking device.

Michael George, chief executive officer of OATSystems, says his company has collaborated closely on a number of other RFID deployments, and that its platform contains software applications designed for specific business processes that Airbus will be able to leverage. These applications include parts maintenance, asset tracking and repair and overhaul.

Alien Technology Announces New EPC Gen 2 Chip

The Higgs 3 chip is more sensitive to RF signals than earlier models, sports a read password to secure data and comes with 512 bits of user memory.

By Mary Catherine O'Connor
April 7, 2008—Alien Technology has announced the Higgs 3, its latest chip for EPC Gen 2 Class 1 UHF passive tags. In response to demand from end users, Alien has built a number of features into the chip that go beyond simple track and trace functionality, says Bill Brown, the company's senior manager of product marketing. These features include a means of locking the data encoded to the Higgs 3 chip, for privacy applications, as well as 512 bits of user memory, so users can save more than just an Electronic Product Code (EPC) to the tag.
In addition, the Higgs 3 is pre-encoded with a 64-bit unique tag identification number (TID) that comes standard, whereas the Higgs 2—which has been shipping since December 2006—supported a TID no bigger than 32 bits. By reading a tag's TID and associating it with the EPC, or with any other tag data encoded to the chip, an end user can authenticate the tag as it moves through a supply chain.
Brown says Alien engineers have leveraged the existing write password function that is part of the EPC Gen 2 standard in order to build a read password function into the Higgs 3 chip. A write password prevents an authorized third party from changing the data encoded to a Gen 2 tag, but does not prevent a third party from reading the tag's data, which could be done with any standard Gen 2 interrogator. "Our customers want the option to make Gen 2 tags unreadable through the use of a password," Brown says. Any EPC Gen 2 reader with the standard Gen 2 write password functionality, he adds, could be used to enact the read password function on a tag with a Higgs 3 chip.
According to Brown, Alien opted to give its new chip 512 bits of user memory—beyond the 96 bits allotted for an EPC—to make tags containing the Higgs 3 chip more attractive to end users looking to encode the tag with data that is associated with the product or asset to which that tag is attached, such as a chain-of-custody record, or maintenance history. Examples of applications in which end users could benefit from the additional user memory, Alien notes, include tracking airline baggage or establishing a chain-of-custody record for pharmaceutical products.
What's more, Brown says, the tag's additional memory could be used to accommodate EPCs longer than the standard 96 bits. The Gen 2 data construct allows for an EPC of up to 496 bits, he explains, and the unique identification numbers that U.S. Department of Defense suppliers must use are also longer than 96 bits.
Brown says tests conducted by Alien show tags made with the Higgs 3 chip to be 25 percent more sensitive to RF signals than those made with the Higgs 2 chip—which, he says, are 25 percent more sensitive to RF signals than other tags currently available. As the chip's read sensitivity increases, the amount of power required for it to operate, or to be activated by the interrogator, decreases. Moreover, the more read-sensitive a tag's chip is, the greater the read range (or distance from a reader) the tag can support. Last week, RFID chip maker Impinj unveiled its Monza 3 chip, which it claims is 40 percent more sensitive than other Gen 2 chips now on the market