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Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme
AGRE-0004: AMIES: Animal Monitoring and Identification, the European System |
AGRE-0004: AMIES: Animal Monitoring and Identification, the European System
Science Background
There is demand from consumers for reliable information on food production methods and food quality. Costs related to animal welfare and environmental requirements have to be balanced by improved on-farm cost management. This leads to a requirement for improved methods of data collection.
Objectives
This project aimed to integrate progress in knowledge of animal stress and reproduction physiology within new technology-based systems for intensive animal husbandry. This would be achieved by development of a read-write intelligent injectible biosensor that measured body temperature, physical activity and tissue conductivity of pigs. Data specific to each individual animal would be communicated by wireless to a computer system. Full application of this system would help to reduce the need for medical treatment of animals, thus reducing chemical residues in meat that could impair human health.
Significant changes and results since end of ECLAIR
The industrial partners were Eureka Electronic Identification (Davy McKee, UK), Sonnenschein Lithium (Germany) and Seghers Hybrid (Belgium). The telemetric link was developed by Eureka and the power source of the device by Sonnenschein Lithium. Pig breeders Seghers Hybrid organized field tests. The project was coordinated at the Laboratory for Quality Care in Animal Production (LQCAP), KU Leuven (Belgium). At the end of this project, Eureka was bought by a company that was not interested in the results of this project. This was a significant barrier to commercialization. Research continued under AIR and then Innovation. The latter aims at a commercial product and has helped convince potential users of the value of this product.
Results
At end of this ECLAIR project
It was shown that it is possible to implant a telemetric device subcutaneously at the earbase of a pig without problems related to migration, recovery or toxicity, as compared with passive devices. Parameters for reliable data collection, eliminating background noise, were identified. The high application cost of producing a reliable device that could collect information on temperature, body movement, and other parameters limited use to breeding animals. Thus, it was considered that further research on cost-effectiveness was required.
Current position
The development of an intelligent multisensor microsystem for remote data acquisition by telemetry, combining electronic identification and monitoring was completed under AIR-2304: CAPT: Coupling activity and passive telemetric data collection for monitoring, control and management of animal production at farm and sectorial level. This technology is also applicable for food preservation, which must be monitored during transport and storage, especially with respect to temperature sensitive foods and food products. In addition, origin of branded food products must be guaranteed. The project Innovation IN2083I: FAME: Food and Animal Monitoring Expert, aims to commercialize this new technology. Both the AIR and Innovation projects were also coordinated by LQCAP.
Impact
Commercial
The Innovation project FAME aims at a commercial product and a patent has been applied for. This project has helped overcome an important barrier, which was the lack of an application at real scale in order to convince potential users. FAME is a bi-directional high speed multiple read-write transponder having its own power source, a small battery with a life of two years. The chip allows integration of two different sensors (e.g. temperature and acceleration measurement). The aim is to validate its application for farm animal disease monitoring and transfer the technology to monitoring of food products during transport and storage. In particular, two applications will be demonstrated: 1. monitoring of fish from catch to consumption; 2. monitoring of meat from production to consumption. Other applications include situations where information has to be collected from often inaccessible locations (e.g. water and air pollution, health protection of workers in harsh environments, safety monitoring of babies and disabled people). The chip is being redesigned to accommodate recent production technologies and ISO transmission standards. The commercial development of FAME is being carried out by Idento Electronics B.V. (The Netherlands).
Associated
The experience of working within an international consortium was particularly valuable.
Contacts
Author
KU Leuven
SEGHERSgentec
Sonnenschein Lithium GmbH
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by CPL Press:
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