The Animal Husbandry Department is creating a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based system for facilitating livestock traceability, e-veterinary health record and service delivery.
The department on Thursday inked an MoU with the Digital University Kerala (DUK) which will supply the necessary technical solutions.
A part of e-Samrudha, an umbrella IT initiative of the department, the RFID-based Animal Traceability and Livestock Augmentation System will be piloted in Pathanamthitta district covering 75,000 cattle, Minister for Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani said.
Benefits include the creation of a centralised electronic veterinary record for the State and improved veterinary service delivery and disease control mechanisms, the Animal Husbandry Department and DUK said.
Further, activities connected with the sector such as breeding, production and insurance management stand to benefit, they said. The RFID-based system also helps to track animal movements across the State.
According to the Minister, the government has sanctioned ₹7.28 crore under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative for its roll-out. The project will be extended to other districts in due course.
At present, yellow plastic ear tags are in use for purposes such as animal insurance, vaccination and loans. But they have a number of limitations, according to the department.
The new injectable, cylindrical RFID-tag - 12 mm long with a diameter of 2.2 mm - is made of biocompatible glass meeting the standards of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR). It is placed on the base of the left ear of a cow and is compatible with RFID readers and mobile apps.
Each animal is tagged from its birth. Once placed, it can track an animal throughout its life, Animal Husbandry officials said.
A. Kowsigan, director, Animal Husbandry, and DUK vice chancellor Saji Gopinath signed the MoU in the presence of the Animal Husbandry Minister.
