GOA: If you thought the Bhilawadi-based Chitale Dairy Farm's experiment with Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) tags for buffaloes was the ultimate in the technology usage in India, here is another news from a government-owned cattle-breeding farm in Goa.

The Kopordem farm at Valpoi in Sattari Taluk in North Goa has become the first farm in India to use RFID microchips that can be injected into the animal's body. While 50 cows from the farm have been injected with the RFID capsule under a pilot project for the state government's Animal Husbandry Department, the device will be implanted into 500 more cows at different state government farms soon.

Besides providing each animal a unique and secure identification, the RFID capsules would also help in inventory control and integration of health records and database.

According to Bangalore based veterinarian and Vettrack consultant Gamvetta D'Costa, the concept of a radio frequency identification device as an injectable transponder for animal applications has been developed by the US-based AVID. The EX-ID transponder implant (the chip) features AVID electronics sealed in a glass capsule coated with Parylene C, a compound compatible with living cells, which invites normal tissue growth around the device.

Giving further details, he said that the devices classified as passive transponders are activated by a signal from an AVID reader. "Each transponder has a unique nine-digit identification number, which is used to identify the particular animal," he added.

Added Vettrack consultant K Bhagwan, "The microchip is a tiny computer chip which has an identification number programmed into it. It is the size of a grain of rice-12 mm in length-and its durability is beyond the life span of most pets or animals." According to him, once injected under the skin of the animal, a thin layer of protein, which anchors it in place for the rest of life of the animal, encases the microchip.

Bhagwan also disclosed that the device injected with the help of injection gun provides a permanent, positive identification, which cannot be lost, altered or intentionally removed. He said that this device is safe, simple and assists in identifying the animal and protecting it against loss or theft.

Subcutaneous transplantation of these transponders in animals is done with the help of 12-gauge needle. The small size of the injected transponder with its small antenna produces a read distance of 2-8 inches.

The Goa-based Vettrack would market the product from AVID-microchips, syringes, injector guns and readers in India. The company is also in the process of identifying suitable software for managing backend database and an appropriate and cost- effective interface such as PDAs to store the data on the site.

According to sources, while the chip would cost between Rs 300 to Rs 400, the injections would have a price tag of Rs 1,000. The costliest equipment for the project, however, is the scanner with an approximate price tag of Rs 20,000.

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