The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7397 p469
22 April 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Society calls for RFID tags on food animals

Food animals should be fitted with radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices so that their complete medication history can travel with them when they are moved between farms. That is the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's advice (PDF 140K) to a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs review of livestock movement rules.

“As pharmacists we feel that a clear record of medication history must follow the animal, especially if a medicine has been used that is still within its withdrawal period,” the Society said. “A complete electronic passport can then pass with the animal. This could also be used to record medication during transportation.”

The Society recommended RFID tags because of the amount of data that can be recorded and their read/write capabilities. It sees these as an improvement over conventional printed or written tags, which are restricted by their size and legibility needs and which require an accompanying paper trail.