Animal identification and monitoring

Devices for electronic animal identification, becoming available in the mid-1970s, facilitated the implementation of sophisticated livestock management schemes. The standardisation by IOS of the next generation of injectable electronic transponders opened a world-wide market for all species of animals. The third generation, currently under development, includes also read/write possibilities and sensor technologies for automatic monitoring of animal health and performance. The addition of these sensors facilitates the automation of sophisticated tasks such as health and reproduction status monitoring. Examples are given of the automated oestrus detection by signal processing of one or more sensor signals. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.