Stephen Cadogan: Latest eartag collects useful animal data

An eartag that be used for official animal identification, real-time location, and health monitoring purposes was one of the four gold medal innovation winners at last week’s EuroTier, the world’s leading trade fair for animal production.

Just as the Irish market opens up for multiple eartag suppliers, the winning Eartag LIFE product made by Smartbow GmbH Weibern, in Austria, has expanded the boundaries for tag capabilities.

The low-weight eartag — although it includes a sensor with an energy supply which lasts for several years — can collect useful data throughout an animal’s life.