ICAR’s Animal Identification Sub-Committee and accredited Test Centres met on 20-21 February 2019 in Brussels. The meeting’s agenda focused on key areas, such as:
- Reviewing and finalizing ICAR’s Field Testing Protocol for Animal Identification devices, focusing on device retention. Progressing the design of the relevant ICAR service.
- Reviewing the need to develop a quality and environmental performance testing of UHF ear tags, in collaboration with ISO’s TC23-SC19-WG3 ‘Identification’.
- Planning the updating of Section 10 of the ICAR Guidelines. Topics to be reviewed in 2019 include: the ear tag applicator closing force, the colour staining of ear tags, and the length of the ear tags’ male pin.
- Planning the ID-SC meetings in the context of ICAR’s upcoming Annual Conference, to be held in June 2019 in Prague. The ID-SC has drafted the agenda of its open Technical Session on Animal ID services and technologies.
- Planning a 2019 Ring Test for RFID devices among the accredited Test Centres.
During the meeting, the group was happy to welcome Mr. Kaido Kroon, Veterinary Legislative Officer for Animal Health-Crisis management at the European Commission’s DG Health and Food Safety, Unit G3. Mr. Kroon made a presentation of the EU’s new Animal Health Law, adopted in 2016 and to be applied as of 21 April 2021.