Ongoing Developments in Technology
Technology has been developed within the past 10 years for using electronic neck tags, ear tags and implants.

Neck tags featuring this technology are now used throughout the dairy industry. The use of neck tags was a natural extension of the various dairy industry programs already in place. The tags help dairy farmers manage individual animals. How much feed and milk each animal consumes and produces is monitored on an ongoing basis. Electronic Identification (EID) technology allows the farm operator to increase profitability by responding rapidly to problems in production and quickly changing how the herd is managed.

The use of this technology remains in the infant stage in the beef cattle industry.

Ear tags are currently being evaluated for use in the beef industry. Alberta is a major player in researching the commercial applications of this technology. This is one of the largest EID projects undertaken to date in North America. Electronic implants are no longer being considered because the USDA Food and Drug Administration classifies implants as a food additive and won't approve their use.

Electronic identification in the beef cattle industry could be used where the majority of animals are managed in lots and sold on averages. Some cow-calf producers are shifting towards individual animal management within the feedlot sector and within the major packers. However, there's still no effective means of linking carcass data from the packer back with performance data at the feedlot and, ultimately, back with production data at the cow-calf operation.

TThe value of electronic identification to operators at each level of the market must be proven before it can be widely applied in the beef cattle industry. There must be proven economic incentive to use an electronic identification (EID) system before operators in the beef industry will adopt it. Other industries have had the use of EID mandated by regulations or the industry itself.

EID is an approved form of ownership identification in Alberta. Please contact LIS at 1-866-509-2088 to find out what devices are approved for ownership identification.