Animal RFID: RFID Goes To The Dogs In Portugal

From Information Week ... The countrry's agricultural ministry has awarded Digital Angel a contract to launch a dog-ID program using implantable RFID chips. By Laurie Sullivan. ...

" ... Digital Angel Corp. said Friday it has won a $600,000 contract from the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture to launch a mandatory dog-identification program using implantable radio-frequency identification microchips. Shipments have begun, with completion scheduled for the third quarter this year. The Portuguese dog-identification program is being conducted simultaneously with the country's annual rabies vaccination drive. The deadline for Portuguese residents to tag the approximate 2 million dogs is 2007 ... "

Digital Angel Corporation (formerly Destron Fearing) has been involved in the development and manufacture of livestock identification products since 1948. Digital Angel pioneered the development of miniaturized microchip technology for use in fisheries, companion animals and livestock since the 1980's. The Digital Angel Corporation (AMEX:DOC) is a leading provider of sensor and communications technologies that enable secure and accurate identification, tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value mobile assets. Digital Angel can provide a full complement of radio frequency identification products and software solutions to automate the collection of critical livestock production and carcass information. Individual and herd information can then be easily transferred between all parties involved in the production and retail of meat products. Information sharing allows the food industry to meet the discriminating demands of the market place. Digital Angel uses 134.2 kHz Full Duplex (FDX) microchips in RFID products. FDX technology provides reliable read distance and functionality on the farm and in the challenging environments of food processing facilities. All of Digital Angel's RFID products meet ISO 11784 and 11785 guidelines for animal identification.