At the recent ICAR Conference held in Prague, the ID SC met and the following actions have been taken:
- Final revisions to a draft protocol for the field trialing of RFID cattle devices were considered by the Animal ID Sub-Committee, and it is expected that the final protocol and supporting documents will be published in the coming months.
- The Animal ID Sub-Committee discussed the need for greater engagement with ISO’s WG3 Project Team, who are developing standards for UHF technology and are also progressing the development of a global animal numbering system. These closer linkages between the Animal ID Sub-Committee and WG3 are in the process of being established.
- A workplan for the Animal ID Sub-Committee for 2019-2020 was endorsed, and includes the following key priorities:
- Delivery of the field test protocol
- Engagement with ISO WG3 on UHF
- Update of Guidelines Section 10
- Engagement with Sensor Device Task Force
- Expanded membership of the Sub-Committee
- Engagement with Competent Authorities on ICAR’s ID services
- The Animal ID Sub-Committee engaged with Manufacturers of ICAR certified animal ID devices attending the conference to provide an update on the Animal ID Sub-Committee’s activities and priorities and to seek input from the Manufacturers on the field trial protocol and planned updates to Section 10 of the ICAR Guidelines.
- The Animal ID Sub-Committee ran a Technical Session as a part of the conference program, which included presentations on ICAR’s Animal ID services, applications of UHF technology in both sheep and cattle, an overview of ISO WG3’s animal identification numbering standard and applications of virtual fencing.