[08/23/06]
Allflex USA, the global leader in livestock identification, announced the approval of ISO RFID livestock identification tags by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
"The market place is clearly making a statement that it wants this technology as the specific identifier for cattle and bison in the National ID System," said Brian Bolton President & CEO Allflex USA Inc. "In our experience, validation of ISO RFID Tags as the only official identifier in the NAIS would be a key part of the process in bringing clarity to producers and encouraging infrastructure during this industry-led implementation of the national ID program in the U.S."
Today, ISO RFID tags are validated as the technology of choice in the commercial market place with tens of millions of Allflex ISO RFID tags used in cattle, sheep and pigs around the world. In addition, ISO RFID tags are used as the only official identifier in National ID programs of important beef export countries like Canada and Australia.
Key groups such as the NAIS Cattle Working Group, IDairy, NCBA and USAIO advocate ISO RFID tags as the technology of choice for the U.S. national ID system.
Allflex has experience meeting the needs of some 40 official ID programs around the world, as well as the exclusive use of Allflex ISO RFID tags in official programs such as the National FAIR program and the Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) Eradication program (which will move to mandatory statewide ID in March 2007 using only ISO RFID tags).
Both the Allflex Ultra High Performance Half Duplex and the Allflex Ultra Full Duplex tags have been validated for use in the NAIS, making Allflex the only company to offer livestock producers two RFID technologies that conform to the NAIS supplementary identifier standards.
Allflex will work with its commercial distribution partners to make the tags available as part of the USDA animal identification number (AIN) management system.
About NAIS
The NAIS is a cooperative State-Federal-industry program administered by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The main objective is to develop and implement a comprehensive information system, which will support ongoing animal disease programs and enable State and Federal animal health officials to respond rapidly and effectively to animal health emergencies such as foreign animal disease outbreaks as well as the control and eradication of existing diseases. The ultimate long-tern goal of the NAIS is to provide State and Federal officials with the capability to identify all animals and premises that have had direct contact with a disease of concern within 48 hours after discovery.
About Allflex
Dedicated to animal identification, Allflex is the world leader in design, technology, manufacture and delivery of animal identification for traceability systems across all production animal species and companion animals. Allflex has manufacturing and technology subsidiaries in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and China. Allflex products are distributed in 80 countries worldwide. Allflex has brought cutting-edge, practical applications of visual, electronic and radio frequency animal identification technology across the world for five decades, contributing to a safer global food supply. Visit www.allflexusa. for more information.
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