Digital Angel Corporation, a technology company involved in the field of rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets, has announced that it has accelerated its plans to introduce a national database system that will provide registration, tracking and source verification of all livestock tagged with electronic radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags throughout the United States.

The company's system has been in the planning stages since the first incident of BSE in late December 2003. It is designed to work with all RFID livestock tags, which are compatible and/or compliant with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) standards.

Digital Angel currently sells approximately 30 million livestock tags per year in the United States (and another 20 million internationally), including an expected more than three million RFID tags this year. It is hoped by year end the company will be able to provide access to the system for all new and installed RFID tags. The company is also planning to work with the USDA, NCBA (National Cattleman's Beef Association), the National Pork Producers Council and other industry associations to make the database a standard for the industry.

Digital Angel president and CEO, Kevin N. McGrath, stated, "The recent verification of a second cow in the United States with mad cow disease reemphasises the critical need for a system to track and source verify livestock.”

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