Jan 17,2007_Using an RFID tracking system for animals can boost efficiencies and provide benefits to small meat producers and processors, according to a Canadian company using such a system.

Some small farmers and ranchers in the U.S. are resisting efforts by federal and state governments to implement a system for tracking animals. Those farmers have argued that the costs of such a system could prove to be prohibitive and that privacy concerns have not yet been addressed.

However, using RFID systems to track livestock has proved beneficial to the suppliers of animals to Atlantic Beef Products Inc., said Paul Arsenault, controller at the beef processing operation in Albany, Prince Edward Island.

Arsenault said that Atlantic Beef's tracking system uses readers from Psion Teklogix Inc. in Mississauga, Ontario, and software from Merit-Trax Technologies Inc. in St. Laurent, Quebec.

The cows are tagged with passive RFID chips by farmer clients of the processor and are tracked from the barn to the processing plant "till they're out the door," Arsenault said. Atlantic Beef processes about 500 animals per week for about 225 farmers.

The system enables real-time monitoring and automates the delivery of data for invoicing, food labeling and shipping.

Arsenault said that using RFID tags ensures that small farmers get credit ¡ª and are paid ¡ª for the exact amount of beef they ship to the processing plant.

source:  www.computerworld.com