WO1998025211A1

WO1998025211A1 - Tracking system for animals and carcasses

Info

Publication number: WO1998025211A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/021712
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cal Nichols
Original assignee: Nicholas Cal
Priority date: 1996-12-02
Filing date: 1997-12-01
Publication date: 1998-06-11
Also published as: CA2273815A1

Abstract

A tracking system for animals and carcasses comprising a tag (1) to be attached to an animal that can be etched with a 2d symbology code (2). The 2d symbology (2) identifying code etched on the tag (1) indicates the source of the animal. A code reader is provided at the meat market processing plant. The system also has a computer for collecting and storing source information that can be accessed to provide the source information for animals processed by the meat processing plant. The preferred embodiment is a polyurethane button ear tag (1) etched with a 2d symbology data matrix code (2). The ear tag (2) includes a post 3 for piercing an animal's ear and an indicia face (4) attached to the post for etching an identifying code (2). The tag is secured by a plate (5) that slips over a ridge (6) at the end of the post. The tag will survive the abuse from animals in a feedlot and initial processing at the packing plant.

Description

TRACKING SYSTEM FOR ANIMALS AND CARCASSES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to the field of tracking animals and carcasses. More particularly, the invention pertains to tracking animals and carcasses by the use of a coded tag that can survive the normal activity of livestock and the initial processing of the carcass in a slaughterhouse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the meat industry there is a need for better information regarding the value and composition of meat supplied to the meat packers by feedlots and form individual suppliers. Generally, speaking animals are supplied and slaughtered in large groups such that it is extremely difficult to track the value of the meat provided by an individual animal. While to outward appearances two animals may appear similar and may weigh the same, the value of the meat provided by each animal may vary widely.

Meat value is determined by a number of factors including: fat to muscle ratio (% lean), tenderness, and marbling. The purchasers of meat products are willing to pay relatively high prices for meat products that show excellent qualities. Likewise, meat with poorer grades can only command very poor prices. Under current practices there is no way to track which suppliers are providing the animals that result in the highest meat value. Even if the suppliers can be identified, there is no way to let the supplier know, which lines or animals resulted in either poor or high quality meat products. Furthermore, there are emerging trends for co-mingling groups of young pigs, such that reference to lot numbers would also not provide the necessary information for the breeding and feeding programs. Sophisticated technology exists for ultrasonic evaluation of animals and carcasses. Most of the characteristics valued by consumers can be determined by ultrasonic analysis of a portion of the carcass or animal. Therefore, the producers can use this information to determine how to cut a carcass to optimize the value. For example, the meat packer might mark an entire carcass for lower quality products if the ultrasonic analysis revealed a low quality scores. This can save the packer the expense of meticulously cutting a carcass only to send each cut to processing to lower grade products. Similarly, feedlots can use ultrasonic evaluation of animals to determine a feeding program for the animals to optimize production. While all of this information exists on site for the producers and packers, there is currently no reliable way of sharing this information.

Currently the meat packers bear most of the risk for the quality of the meat products obtained from the animals slaughtered. By paying flat rates to suppliers, those that provide excellent conditions while raising the livestock are at a severe disadvantage. Thus the current system rewards the suppliers whose animals provide poor quality meat products. This is unlikely to improve the quality of the meat products. The meat industry needs a way to track animals from the producer farms through the feedlots and into the slaughter houses.

Radio collars have been used for years to identify dairy cattle to track milk production, however, these collars are very expensive and are not economically feasible for tracking animals that will be reared for a short time and then slaughtered. Others have suggested the use of bar-coded labels or tags. The problem with these relatively delicate labels is the rather harsh environment of the feedlots and the sterilization process at the beginning of the meat processing process often corrupts the identification symbols. Human readable tags require an operator to read the tag and key-in the information which both increases cost and allows for typing errors. A tagging system is needed that can survive the abuse the animals may inflict upon it and the initial processing at the meat packing plant.

Identification of animals is also a concern for health issues. Tracking individual animals will allow packers and suppliers to identify diseased animals and trace any problems discovered latter back to the packer and supplier. The National Pork Producers Council has continued to support a unique animal identification system. However, current practices have fallen short of satisfying this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The work of the present inventors has shown that tracking of animals is one of both cost and mechanics. Once the animal is slaughtered and the carcass is cleaned and the hide or skin removed, the carcass can generally be tracked by the hook number. All that is needed is a way to match-up the information obtained at the packing plant with that provided by the supplier.

The present invention is an economical and reliable tracking system for animals and carcasses. The tracking system of the present invention was discovered after many attempts at developing a reliable means of identifying animals through the feedlots and initial processing at slaughterhouses. Many types of tags were tried and either the animals or the water at the packing plant destroyed them. Eventually, the inventors discovered that a 2-D symbology code etched on an injection molded tag provided an economical and reliable identification system.

The present invention includes a tracking system for animals and carcasses comprising a tag to be attached to an animal that can be etched with a 2d symbology code. The 2d symbology identifying code etched on the tag indicates the source of the animal. A code reader is provided at the meat processing plant. The system also includes a computer for collecting and storing source information attached to the code reader at the meat processing plant such that the source information can be accessed to provide the source information for animals processed by the meat processing plant.

The preferred embodiment is a polyurethane button ear tag etched with 2d symbology code. The ear tag includes a post for piercing an animal's ear and an indicia face attached to the post for etching an identifying code. The tag is secured by a plate that slips over a ridge at the end of the post. These tags will survive the abuse from animals in the feedlot and initial processing at the packing plant. BRJEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 shows an example of a button tag of the present invention with a round indicia face.

Figure 2 shows an example of a button tag of the present invention with an elliptical indicia face.

Figure 3 shows an operator scanning a tag 1 with a code reader 10 in meat packing plant.

DESCRJTPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

After studying various bar-codes and methods of providing computer readable information on a tag to be attached to animals, the applicant has discovered that most computer readable indicia are destroyed by the relatively harsh conditions of a feedlot and packing plant. Animals often scratch or rub the tags, dirt and water are ever present concerns and sunlight can often cause discoloration or fading.

The applicant originally sought to provide an economical identification tag for animals that could be read by a scanner at the packing plant. Upon further analysis of the meat packing industry, the applicant discovered that the tag must survive at least the slaughter of the animal and the initial phase of processing. In the case of pork, scalding water is used in the dehairing process. Until the animal is ready to be placed on a hook and sent through further processing, it is relatively difficult to track an individual carcass. Therefore, the tag must be capable of surviving whatever treatment is applied to the carcass until it is placed upon a hook and heads further down the line for further processing and inspection. Once the animal is slaughtered and the carcass is cleaned and the hide or skin removed, the carcass can generally be tracked by the hook number. All that is needed is a way to match-up the information obtained at the packing plant with that provided by the supplier. Many meat packing plants install sophisticated ultrasonic evaluation equipment to analyze the carcasses. This can provide a wealth of information regarding the percent lean, muscle mass, marbling and tenderness. The packing plant can use this information in a variety of ways. Some plants determine how to cut the carcass based upon this information. Others are attempting to institute a plan for paying suppliers based upon the value of the carcasses provided. While a group of animals can be slaughtered and the carcasses processed as a group such that the supplier may be known, it is currently very difficult to track an individual carcass or point of origin. The packing plant generally is only concerned with the value of the total shipment, however, the supplier may have more interest in tracking individual animals. Feedlots may receive calves from a large number of livestock farms and may wish to determine how much value is attributed to animals provided by various farms. This invention allows the farms to better design their feeding and breeding programs. Therefore, it was essential to provide an identification system that would be highly reliable, yet be a deminimus burden at the packing plant.

The present invention includes a tracking system for animals and carcasses comprising a tag 1 to be attached to an animal that can be etched with a 2d symbology code 2. Figure 1 shows an example of a button tag 1 of the present invention. The tag 1 of the present invention is intended to pierce the ear of the animal to be identified. The preferred embodiment is a polyurethane button ear tag 1 etched with 2d symbology data matrix code 2. The ear tag 1 includes a post 3 for piercing an animal's ear and an indicia face 4 attached to the post 3 for etching an identifying code 2. The tag 1 is secured by a plate 5 that slips over a ridge 6 at the end of the post 3. Due to injection molding concerns, the post 3 is generally hollow and the indicia face 4 generally has a hole 7 in the center. These tags 1 will survive the abuse from animals in the feedlot and initial processing at the packing plant.

For hogs, many plants will leave the heads attached to the carcasses during initial processing so the tag would stay with the animal until scanned during inspection or ultrasonic evaluation. If the head was removed prior to scanning of the tag 1, the post 3 could be clipped off and a retaining clip or string could be threaded through the hole 7 in the indicia face 4 of the tag 1 and attached to the carcasses or hook. Code readers 10 are commercially available and are provided at the meat processing plant. Figure 3 shows an operator scanning a tag 1 with a code reader 10. The system also includes a computer 11 for collecting and storing source information. The computer 11 attached to the code reader 10 at the meat processing plant such that the source information can be accessed to provide the source information for animals processed by the meat processing plant.

The code could be read during ultrasonic evaluation of the carcass and the information stored collectively in a database for later evaluation and reporting. This may be the extent to which tracking is necessary, but the present invention can be used in conjunction with other methods for tracking meat products once they leave the packing plant. The user could scan the tag 1 then scan a code 13 on the hook 14 to let an internal tracking system follow the carcass through later processing.

The code 13 on the hook 14 is matched up to the identifying code 2 on the ear tag 1. The ear tag lean then be physically removed from the carcass, but still tracked because of the code 13 on the hook 14. The code 13 is preferably of the same 2d symbology technique as the identifying code 2 on the ear tag 1, but as long as, they are both readable by the same scanner the user can still read both codes quickly. A typical gambrel hook 14 can be marked with a MECCO™ marking machines or potentially etched with lasers.

The 2d symbology identifying code 2 etched on the tag 1 should at least indicate the source of the animal but it is anticipated that individual animal numbers might be assigned in addition to other tracking codes that might be desired. At present a 3/8" x 3/8" square 15 x 15 dot matrix code provides a ten character alphanumeric code with over a thirty percent error correction/redundancy built in.

The method of providing the code is relatively important. Labels and ink can be washed off. Etching the code provides a durable and economical solution to the problems of retaining code integrity The code is laser etched onto a one inch diameter indicia face 4 of the tag 1. For etching, the best results have been obtained with a StarMark 65 Watt Nd- YAG laser marking system available from A-B Lasers, Inc.. To include more characters, the matrix can easily be expanded. The entire code 2 could be repeated on a different section of the indicia face 4. The indicia face 4 could also be elliptical as shown in Figure 2.

Data Matrix is a previously known and published code. Further information is available in brochures from International Data Matrix, Inc. at 9 Townsend West, Nashua, NH 03063 and the brochures and information are incorporated herein by reference. The data matrix code is still highly accurate even with limited amounts of degradation of the cells. Other types of 2d symbology coding are gaining acceptance and can be used in this application. While PDF417 can require very accurate alignment with the reader, it has many advantages that make it work consideration. The readers are often capable of reading bar codes as well, so a standard bar-coding system could be used in conjunction with the PDF417 coding of the identification code 2. The alignment problems can be solved by shaping the tags to fit into an adapter to the reader lens, such that proper regisration is required.

Laser etching the matrix into an injection molded tag means that water does not interfere with image recognition as it would with a printed image. Polyurethane is bit more expensive that other forms of material (polyethylene, etc.) that could be used for the tag, but it is less susceptible to UV degradation and provides excellent contrast in the laser etched code. This is of greater concern when animals will be wearing the tag for long periods of time outdoors, e.g. dairy cattle. In most applications, however, less expensive material can be used.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A tracking system for animals and carcasses comprising: a) a tag to be attached to an animal that can be etched with a 2d symbology code; b) a first 2d symbology identifying code etched on said tag that indicates the source of said animal; c) a code reader that can read said identifying code at a meat processing plant such that when said tag is attached to an animal, the source of said animal can be identified by reading said identifying code and stored; and d) means for collecting and storing source information attached to said code reader at said meat processing plant such that said source information can be accessed to provide said source information for animals processed by said meat processing plant.

2. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein said first 2d symbology identifying code is a data matrix code.

3. The tracking system of claim 1 further comprising a second 2d symbology identifying code on a carcass transport device at said meat processing plant such that said second 2d symbology identifying code is matched to said first 2d symbology identifying code to track said animal through said meat processing.

4. An animal identification tag comprising: a) a post for piercing an animal's ear; b) an indicia face for etching an identifying code attached to said post; and c) a 2d symbology identifying code etched on said tag that indicates the source of said animal to receive said identification tag.

5. The animal identification tag of claim 3 wherein said 2d symbology identifying code is a data matrix code.