UHF RFID technology to improve pig life cycle management

RFID technology helps the food industry better monitor animal health and meat storage. For this purpose, the German food industry business unit has developed an ultra-high frequency (UHF) system for tracking pigs using passive RFID tags and readers and its own software to manage the collected data.

Since February 2016, the technology has been tested with breeding pigs and genetics company Topigs Norsvin, and the actual trial is expected to be completed next month. The organization has used RFID technology in the fTrace system, a system used to capture and Store data about slaughtered pigs and provide it to consumers. On the other hand, RFID data can track the entire process of pigs from birth to slaughter. The RFID data will be stored on cloud-based software.

Responsible for managing the pork supply from Tönnies slaughterhouse according to customer demand. Many farms and producers cooperate to oversee pig breeding and related data management. The business unit is responsible for developing new technologies to promote the production and sales of meat products.

The business group has been using RFID slaughter hooks since the late 1990s and has gradually improved data collection. The data collected is used to create pig ID Cards that contain information about the animal's origin, when and where it was slaughtered, and when the food was manufactured and packaged.

In the recent RFID pilot, the focus is on the growth process of pigs, thereby helping the basic supply chain. This data will be shared with breeding pig companies, piglet companies, slaughterhouses and marketing agencies. For producers, this data can help them understand the entire life cycle of a pig and therefore understand how to improve the production or finishing process. Agencies can use this information to ensure the health of their animals.

The RFID pilot used UHF RFID ear tags and a handheld RFID Reader provided by Agritech. Cloud software is provided for managing RFID read data.

First, a few days after the birth of about 1,000 piglets, staff attached button-type UHF tags to the ears of each piglet. Each tag's unique ID number binds information about a specific piglet. This information is stored within the software. In addition, staff also use a handheld reader to read tags from 2 meters away, and then the software will bind it to the pig ID card. When weighing, feeding or administering medicine, workers will use a card reader to read the ear tags and then transmit them to the server through a WiFi connection.

When transported to the slaughterhouse, the pigs will be placed on trucks. A fixed RFID reader and antenna are installed on the truck to read the pigs on board. When slaughtered, the tag is read again, creating a complete life cycle.

Management manager Heiner Strömer said that after slaughter, this information can be accessed by producers and other stakeholders. This way, they can analyze and adjust their production processes, such as the amount of feed or medicine used.

Strömer reports that pilot results show that RFID technology is more efficient than traditional manual methods. He said: "First of all, each pig has a unique identification, which contains all life cycle data. The data will help relevant parties make improvements."

Elmerhaus said the pilot process encountered many challenges. The environment in which pigs are raised can cause damage to labels. This is also the reason for choosing UHF RFID tags. This kind of tag is more durable than HF RFID tags and barcodes.

Strömer said that if the system works well, the company will deploy it permanently and share the technology with farmers. At the same time, Tännies also plans to introduce new partners in the pig food chain, such as wild boar farms, sow owners and pig farms.