Digital Angel, a technology company in the field of animal identification and emergency identification solutions, experienced higher demand for electronic and visual identification tags in several EU countries as a result of recent animal health and food safety regulations. The company has begun shipping, its new fold-over tag with specific retention and read rates to help its European partners comply with this new legislation.
“Our products have been well-received in Europe; more importantly, this interest has translated into a significant increase in orders particularly for our new tag, which just started shipping to the EU. We have tested the tag in pilot trials over the last two years and the outcome is clear: It has proven to be a reliable, cost-effective solution to trace livestock from farm to fork,” said Dan Ellsworth, VP of Sales and Marketing,
EU Market Highlights Include:
* Countryside Services, a subsidiary of Ulster Farmers’ Union in Northern Ireland, placed its first order of 500,000 electronic and visual identification tags for distribution in Ireland and the U.K.;
* Sales in the U.K. have more than doubled year-over-year from the first half of 2009;
* Sales of electronic identification tags have increased dramatically in the Netherlands;
* First half 2010 revenues doubled year-over-year in Holland;
Under regulation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), all sheep born on or after December 31, 2009 in the U.K. must have two identifiers, one electronic and one visual. Similar regulation has also been passed in the Netherlands. The legislation was drafted, in part, to facilitate the early identification of health and safety problems through improved livestock traceability both within EU countries and across Member State borders.
“Traceability is key to the identification of risks in livestock, particularly in the EU where travel and trade are less restricted between member countries. With 35 million sheep in the UK alone, knowing the history of a particular herd is critical not only for the farmer but for the food consumer as well. National borders will not stop the spread of an emerging disease threat to a herd; only knowing ‘when and where’ livestock came from will,” Ellsworth said.