The national animal ID scheme is an attempt to assign each animal its own identification for better management and tracibility. To do this, the department is also encouraging livestock entrepreneurs to deploy radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to manage their animals' efficiently.

The department's director general Yukol Limlamthong said they are adopting the national animal system for use on chicken, especially for those being exported.

Each year, the country's chicken exports are worth Bt30 billion from an estimated 800 million to 900 million chickens from 100,000 farms around the country.

Under the national animal system, the identity for economic livestock will comprise a 15-digit number, of which the first three digits will represent the country code. Thailand's code is 764.

The next two digits will record the animal type. A two-digit province code will follow, then a two-digit year code, and lastly a six-digit number specific to the animal.

The department will initially force all chicken farm operators to adopt RFID technology and the animal ID system. Of the total 100,000 chicken farms, around 25 large operators are planning to undertake a pilot test in hand with the department.

The National Electronics and Computer Centre and the RFID Cluster are taking part in the pilot project, which is expected to take around three months. After the pilot period, the implementation will be rolled out through the rest of the chicken farmers by the end of the year.

Currently the 25 large-scale chicken farmers have their own identity system for each chicken and keep records of the chickens' pedigrees, names and ages, feeding and treatment records. Yukol said these systems have been carried out separately, so the pilot test would help them transform their existing system in a national standard.

Farm operators, he said, can apply for animal IDs from the department.

"We will have a database system which will help allocate animal IDs to farm operators and it will keep records of animals and livestock nationwide," he added.

The department also plans to develop its database to cover all animal-processing products as well. This means that as well as farm operators, other supply chains like slaughter-houses and food processing plants will also adopt RFID technology for their business process. All information in each supply chain will have to be reported back to the department's central system.

"With this system will be able to monitor and manage the whole flow of livestock goods from the farms to slaughter-houses to transfigure-houses as well as transport to the shelf, both domestically and in terms of exports," Yukol said.

He added the adoption of RFID technology in livestock would help farmers who want to improve their farm management. When it is adopted by the entire supply chain process it will allow customers to trace products back to their origins, he said.

This is important, especially when the products are exported.

After the animal ID scheme has been successfully deployed in chicken farms Yukol said the department would expand the project to cover pig farms and cattle farms, hopefully around the middle of next year.

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation