Walter Pinna, Giuseppa Nieddu, Maurizio Picciau, Giuseppe Garau, Emanuela Pira

Electronic identification of the donkey: a field experience by means of two types of transponders and three application techniques

Dipartimento di Scienze Animali, Vegetali e dell’Ambientedell’Università del Molise

10° Convegno

Nuove acquisizioni in materia di Ippologia

New findings in equine practiceDruento (Torino)

31 ottobre/1 Novembre 2008

• The identification of equids, and of donkeys in particular, is a hot topic of the last times, due to 2 main reasons:

• 1) within the E. U.:

“ is (is going to) operative since the 27° of June, and will be mandatory within all the Countries Members since the 1° of July 2009, the Regulation (CE) n. 504/2008, 6 June 2008, dealing with directive 90/ 426/ CEE and 90/427/CEE of the Counsil about the identification methods in Equids, involving the identification of all equids born or imported in the Europea Comunity;

Introduction (1/6)

• The identification system of equids in agreement with the new Regulation deals with the identification document (passport) unique and valid for all the life of the animal; the passpost is linked to the animal by a microchip, whose code, unique in the whole world (UELN: Universal Equine Life Number ), is recorded in BDE.

•2) within the Autonomous Region of Sardinia:

with approval of European Commission by Decision C (2007) 5949 of 28° of November 2007 and successive changes and integration it was issued a Program for the Rural Development (PSR), dealing with the financial supply of 7.000.000,00 € for the recovery and conservation of the biodiversity of some breeds under the menace of abandon;

• within the above mentioned PSR Sarda breed donkey are involved;

Introduction (2/4)

• Farmers who apply to the plan must meet the requirments for a 5 years period since the day after the deadline of the call, in the first moment identified with the 15° of May 2008, and then shifted to the 30° of June 2008.

Introduction (3/4)

Introduction (4/4)

Aim of the trial

Evaluate different electronic identifiers (transponder) and alternative techniques of individual identification of donkeys in comparison to the common technique in use at present

• 65 donkeys registered in the “Anagraphical Register of Sarda breed donkey” were elettronically identified by:

• Farm A: 55 heads (24 transponder Animal Coder and 31 Tiris)

• Farm B: 10 heads (4 transponder Animal Coder; 6 Tiris)

Materials and methods (1/7)

Materials and methods (2/7)

RFID Handy reader for Animal Coder transponder

Commercial size of Animal Coder transponders

Materials and methods (3/7)

Technical features of

Tiris transponder

Size (L x W) 32 x 3.8 mm

Shape Cylindric

Weight 0,83 g

Material glass

Technology HDX

Charge Passive (no battery)

ISO Certificazion 11785

Working Frequency 134,2 kHz

Programmability Only reading (programmed in factory)

Memory 112 bits (animal identification code 64 bits)

Distanza di lettura Handy reader: > 25 cm, Statico reader > 80 cm

Penetrability Capability of transponder detection through every non metallic material

Working temperature from - 25°C a + 85°C

Handy reader

Fixed reader

RFID Readers

EIC Readability: R (%) = Read transponders . 100 Identified donkeys at reading

Materials and methods (4/7)

Materials and methods (5/7) Transponder’s application

(Retroauricolar, intramuscular and intraperitoneal site)

Materials and methods (6/7)

xRay examen of transponder’s position (in the retroauricolar

and intramuscular site)

Table n. 1 – Summary of the transponders type, site of injection and technique of application deployed in the trial

Technique of transponder injection  

Site of injectionAPA Technique (Sogos, 2003)

Animal Coder Transponder

Prodanim Technique (Pira, 2008)

Tiris Transponder 

Retroauricolar 0 28 (77%)  

Intraperitoneal 0 5 (13%)  

Middle III° of the neck 28 (100%) 4 (10%)  

Total heads 28 (100%) 37 (100%)

Materials and methods (7/7)

Recovery of the wound in the point of injection

Results 1/6

Injection: T= 0

Post-injection: T= 0

Post-injection: T= 11d

EIC Static reading of Transponder by Gesimpex reader

EIC Static reading of Transponder by Animal Coder reader

Results 2/6

Table n. 1– Static Readability of EIC of the transponder in the donkey

Results 3/6

FARM A (N. heads = 55) FARM P (N. heads = 10)

Type of reader Datamars Gesimpex F210 Datamars Gesimpex F210Type of RFID reading

Static Static Dynamic Static Static Dynamic

Type of Transponder

Animal Coder (n = 24) Animal Coder (n = 4)

21 (87.5%) 21 (87.5%) 0 (0%) 4 (100%) 4 (100%) 0 (0%)

Type of Transponder

Tiris (n = 31) Tiris (n = 6)

31 (100%) 31 (100%) 31 (100%) 6 (100%) 6(100%) 6 (100%)

Dynamic reading with a fixed antenna in a corridor to the ranged areaDynamic reading with a fixed antenna in a corridor to the ranged area

Results 4/6

Table n. 2– Dynamic readability of EIC of the transponder in the donkey

Results 5/6

FARM A (N. heads = 55) FARM P (N. heads = 10)

Type of reader Datamars Gesimpex F210 Datamars Gesimpex F210Type of RFID reading

Static Static Dynamic Static Static Dynamic

Type of Transponder

Animal Coder (n = 24) Animal Coder (n = 4)

21 (87.5%) 21 (87.5%) 0 (0%) 4 (100%) 4 (100%) 0 (0%)

Type of Transponder

Tiris (n = 31) Tiris (n = 6)

31 (100%) 31 (100%) 31 (100%) 6 (100%) 6(100%) 6 (100%)

Results 6/6 (xRay check)

Variable position of transponder in the intramuscular site of injection

Fix position of transponder in the retrauricolar site of injection

• The application of the transponder in the retroauricolar region, as described in order to meet the needs of anagraphical controls in Sarda breed donkeys, resulted in a very easy to use method under usual farm conditions of Sardinia;

• Tiris transponder showed in farm condition a higher practical efficacy of the electronic identification system in the donkey thanks to the dynamic readability of the electronic code;

Conclusions

• The localization of the injectable transponders in the retroauricolar region, shows to be more suitable in comparison to the intraperitoneal and in the middle (?) 3° of the neck injection, not only for individual identification but also according to the needs of recovery of the transponder in the slaugthehouse of animal elettronically identified.

Questions ?