Trovan, Ltd. Introduces Revolutionary Delivery Device for Animal ID

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 1997

Santa Barbara, CA--
Electronic Identification Devices, Ltd., the North American distributor for TROVAN, LTD. is pleased to announce the introduction of the new TROVAN ID-100ZIP animal identification transponder. The ID-100ZIP features the patented TROVAN ZIP QuillTM.

The TROVAN ZIP QuillTM is a unique transponder delivery device which consists of a tiny container shaped like a bullet, which tapers to a sharp point. Inside is an ID-100 transponder. The TROVAN ZIP QuillTM can be inserted very easily simply by pressing it, sharp point first, into the animal's skin with the thumb. No tools are necessary.

The TROVAN ZIP QuillTM does not make an incision, or cut, in the skin as a syringe would. Rather it pierces the skin, allowing for rapid closure of the opening after penetration of the TROVAN ZIP QuillTM thereby minimising tissue damage and trauma.

"To the uninitiated," said Mr. Dieter Salomon of Trovan, Ltd., "the TROVAN ZIP QuillTM may look like it is made of a very hard, clear plastic, but the "plastic" is actually a soluble material made of a molecular compound contained in the muscle tissue of humans and animals." The TROVAN ZIP QuillTMdissolves completely and is absorbed within three hours of insertion.

"This scientific breakthrough helps do away with unnecessary syringes and other implantation devices" stated Mr. Salomon. "It provides for unprecedented speed of application and eliminates medical waste. The TROVAN ZIP QuillTM comes individually packaged, presterilized in tear-off packages.

There is no transmission of infectious diseases, as can occur in reusable syringes, and no extensive personnel training is required. There are no transponder failures due to metal applicators or metal needles which can crack the glass capsule of the transponder as it is being extruded."

The TROVAN ID-100 transponder is one of the smallest animal implantable devices in the business, at only 11 - 11.5 mm length and 2.2 mm diameter.

It is made using a patented direct bonding technique which eliminates numerous structural components, thereby reducing the likelihood of component failure. The TROVAN ID-100 transponder has been endorsed by the Captive Breeding Specialist Group of the IUCN and by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) based on its small size, great reliability and unmatched reading performance.

"Numerous trials and research projects have shown that the size of the transponder plays a major role in preventing transponder migration and breakage. The small transponder is not prone to migration within the muscle tissue, as are large transponders," said Mr. Salomon.

"In the future," said Dieter Salomon, "the TROVAN delivery device can also be used for delivery of pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines and antibiotica, in animals and humans. Trovan, Ltd. is actively seeking strategic partners and invites inquiries from interested parties regarding potential use of the TROVAN delivery device."

The TROVAN system is protected by eight patents with additional patents pending, and is marketed worldwide by Trovan, Ltd.

For additional information in the United States please contact:
Electronic Identification Devices, Ltd.
Barbara Masin
telephone: 805-565-1288
fax: 805-565-1127
e-mail: BMasin@EIDLtd.com

ISO 11784/85 Update - WG3 meeting in Stockholm

According to the agenda for the WG3 meeting in Stockholm, the Working Group was slated to review the current status of ISO standard 11784/85.

Mr. Wim Wissmans, the current Chairman, has taken it upon himself to declare the standard to be a success and fully accepted by all user communities.

The representative of Gosstandart, the Russian Standards Institut, Mr. Anisimov has stated in brief the problems facing Russian agriculture, and the need for RFID technology to track livestock that will be imported to upgrade the indigenous stock. According to the Russian representative, unique ID numbers are of paramount concern, in order to preclude fraud.

Gosstandart fully supports the idea of an international standard for RFID. However, the representative stated that the present ISO 11784/85 standard falls short of their national requirements, as ISO 11784/85 is a transponder-based, open standard. He stated that the country and manufacturer codes stipulated in the standard are of no use in ensuring unique ID codes and that ISO 11784/85 must be modified to ensure that ID codes are unique. He also stated that the presence of duplicate ID numbers in the market would jeopardize the integrity of any national database. He also expressed concern with the complexity of the standard, which encompasses the mutually incompatible FDX and HDX technologies, as this makes the readers unnecessarily expensive and limits their performance. He recommended that the standard stipulate either HDX or FDX, but not both. Similarly, he indicated that separate standards for livestock and companion animals would be appropriate.

The Russian delegate referred to a demonstration of ISO 11784/85 standard compliant transponders where duplicate code numbers had been programmed, which he termed "shocking."

Gosstandart registered a strong plea that ISO 11784/85 be returned to WG3 for speedy modification.

An offer was made by the Trovan representative to demonstrate the re-programming of ISO 11784/85-compatible transponders to WG3 members, either during or after the meeting. This offer was declined by the chairman, who stated that he had seen the technology demonstrated before. The transponders in question could be reprogrammed on the fly to different country code numbers and to any of the manufacturers' code numbers currently assigned by ICAR. This technology, which was not available at the inception of the standardisation process, is now commercially available.

Standards New Zealand representative Mr. Gary Burch, supported by a member of the Standards Australia working group IT28, questioned the ability of the standard to provide unique identification, which was deemed essential by both countries, especially in applications involving the international movement of animals, meat and animal products. The chairman responded that the ISO standard was never intended to deliver a guarantee of code uniqueness. A recent shipment of rams, which were previously embargoed, to Russia (also mentioned by the Russian delegate) was mentioned as a typical application. The country and/or manufacturer's codes stipulated in ISO 11784 were described as useless with respect to ensuring unique ID codes. Other top-priority issues for both countries' livestock industries were the reading speed and reading range of ISO 11784/85-compliant equipment; as well as backward compatibility.

Australia and New Zealand combined represent some 240,000,000 heads of livestock, approximately the same number as the EEC.

New Zealand moved to vote to have ISO 11784/85 returned to WG3 for modifications.

The chairman declared that he was not prepared to allow this motion by New Zealand, since WG3 has not been authorised by SC19 to review the standard.

The representative of Swedish Standards has repeatedly requested the group to deal with the request by Standards New Zealand to modify ISO 11784/85, referring to a communication by Mr. Abrams, Technical Director of ISO, advising that WG3 was to deal with this specific issue and to report back to SC19 on the outcome.

Mr. George Tucker, of the U.S. delegation, and Mr. Wissmans, the chairman, were of the opinion that the standard, once published, cannot be modified by WG3 without specific authorisation by SC19.

Nevertheless, the chairman decreed that he will not accept a verbal request from New Zealand and Russia to review the standard. However, he has agreed, upon the insistence of New Zealand and Russia, to accept written motions the next day, February 10. It was stated that such a motion, even if accepted, would not have any effect, since, according to the background presented by Mr. Tucker and Mr. Wissmans, a formal written request must be made by the organisation seeking a review of the standard prior to the meeting. Supposedly, the request by New Zealand was not expected by WG3, in spite of the letter by Mr. Abrams and the ISO Council ruling.

Accordingly, the next day on February 10, two motions were made, one each by New Zealand and Russia, and were rejected.

A poll of WG3 participants, some of which were not official national representatives, was taken to provide feedback on the success of ISO 11784/85 in these countries. The U.S. representative declared that there is no interest in the standard in the United States. The representative of the Spanish veterinary association, which by law represents all Spanish veterinarians, has submitted a letter to WG3 declaring that it has no desire to implement the standard in Spain. A visitor (private observer) from Brasil has mentioned a trial with 5,000 ea. ISO ear tags taking place in Brasil at this time. No activities were reported in Japan. Mr. Wissmans, for the Netherlands, has declared that the Dutch government has adopted the standard for all agricultural animals. Mr. Archie Sains, for the U.K., has informed the group that some other technologies may replace ISO 11784/85 if the issues of contention affecting the standard are not resolved promptly, and that the government's decision is expected shortly. Several other participants have declared that in their countries (Switzerland, Germany, Finland) the intention is to go with the standard. Nevertheless, 100 per cent, worldwide acceptance of ISO 11784/85 has been declared by the chairman.

Australia, New Zealand are reviewing ISO 11784/85 with respect to required modifications. When those modifications are clearly defined it is the intention to advise SC 19 of those changes. Russia has stated that it will submit its list of required modifications to ISO 11784/85 to SC 19, along with a request that the standard be adjusted accordingly.

International Standards Organisation returns RFID standard for animal use to working group for major revisions

On September 25, in response to demand by user groups and widespread complaints, the International Standards Organisation has returned two standards, ISO11784 and ISO11785, to SC19 Working Group 3 by vote of the ISO Council. The ISO Council is the executive body of the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Standards Organisation. ISO11784 and 11785 together comprise a standard for electronic identification (RFID) in agricultural machinery, livestock and other animals.

Based on the problems with ISO 11784 and 11785, it appears certain that the new standards which would emerge from WG3 will embody fundamental changes and major revisions of the present standard.

The ISO11784/85 standard has been beset with major problems even preceding its publication in August 15, 1996 and October 15, 1996 respectively. In particular, user groups have criticized the lack of unique identification codes. Because of the potential for intentional misuse, electronic identification devices (transponders) conforming to the above standard are unsuitable for use with national livestock tracking registries or companion animal registries. Registries of these types are a major proposed application for the standard.

The ISO 11784/85 standard also violates the International Standards Organisation's patent policy, as well as antitrust laws in several countries, due to the existence of three conflicting patents affecting ISO 11785. The revised standard must exclude technology claimed by patent holders as being subject to their patents.

There are also a number of other technical problems and conflicts.

Use of ISO 11784/85 compliant transponders, which operate at 134.2 Khz, would be subject to severe restrictions in Germany, due to a conflict with prior frequency assignations made by the German post office. It has been asserted that compliant equipment operating on this frequency may also interfere with the operation of life-supporting medical equipment (heart pacemakers). It will be necessary to change the frequency.

ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 embody two fundamentally incompatible approaches: the so-called full-duplex approach (FDX) and half-duplex approach (HDX), resulting in costly readers and compromised performance for both the FDX and the HDX elements of the standard. HDX is used exclusively in livestock applications, and has proven unsuitable for use in other applications. A number of national delegations have suggested that separate standards should be published for different applications.

ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 do not stipulate minimum transponder performance requirements for the types of transponders used in most applications. ISO compliance was therefore no guarantee to the user of suitability of a given RFID product for the intended application.

Recall of ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 will give the standard setting organisation an opportunity to address the problems concerning duplicate codes of transponders and specific performance guidelines, solution of which is indispensable to the user community. The requirements of different user groups cannot be accommodated within one standard, as it is today. The working group will also have the opportunity of developing separate standards for livestock and for companion animals, suitable to the specific requirements of the very different user communities. A reader-based standard solution will be proposed.

It is expected that systems built to the present standard's specifications will be incompatible with the revised standards specifications.

ISO 11784/85 compatible products have been primarily promoted in Europe by FECAVA, and by RFID distributors Rhone Merieux and Virbac, as well as manufacturers U.S.-based Destron-Fearing (Nasdaq: DFCO) and Datamars of Switzerland.

International Standards Organisation set to withdraw 11784/85 standard International Standards Organisation set to withdraw 11784/85 standard

The International Standards Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland has confirmed on July 30, 1997, that the proposal to withdraw two standards, ISO11784 and ISO11785, has been slated for the next ISO Council meeting. ISO11784 and 11785 together comprise a standard for electronic identification (RFID) in agricultural machinery, livestock and other animals. At present, this standard is being primarily promoted in Europe by FECAVA, and by RFID distributors Rhone Merieux and Virbac, as well as manufacturers U.S.-based Destron-Fearing and Datamars of Switzerland.

The ISO11784/85 standard has been beset with major problems even preceding its publication in August 15, 1996 and October 15, 1996 respectively. In particular, user groups have criticized the lack of unique identification codes, which, because of the potential for intentional misuse, makes ISO-conforming electronic identification devices (transponders) unsuitable for use with national livestock or companion animal registries, one of the major proposed application areas.

The ISO 11784/85 standard in its present form violates the International Standards Organisation's patent policy, as well as antitrust laws in several countries. The patent conflicts affecting ISO/DIS 11785 have not been resolved. However, even recall of ISO11784 and ISO11785 at this time may not absolve the International Standard Organisation from potential liability resulting from the standard's existence from the date of publication to the date of recall.

ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 do not stipulate minimum transponder performance requirements for the types of transponders used in most applications. ISO compliance is therefore no guarantee to the user of suitability of a given RFID product for the intended application.

The standard's 134.2 Khz operational frequency is incompatible with German regulatory requirements.

ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 embody two fundamentally incompatible approaches: the so-called full-duplex approach (FDX) and half-duplex approach (HDX), resulting in costly readers and compromised performance for both the FDX and the HDX elements of the standard.

Recall of ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 will give standard setting organisations an opportunity to address the problems concerning unique codes of transponders and performance guidelines, solution of which is indispensable to the user community, as well as developing standards suitable to the specific requirements of different user communities.

U.S. user groups favour reader-based standard: Why is a reader-based standard preferable for companion animals?

There are a number of factors which are driving the push to reader-based standards in a number of countries.

  • User Demand. User groups in the United States requested and obtained multi-system readers for use in animal shelters. The goal was to assure full coverage of all microchipped animals, irrespective of the source of the transponder. User groups had stated in surveys conducted by AIM (the Automatic ID Manufacturers' association) that their main objective in standardisation was a reader capable of reading all transponders in the U.S. market, in order to protect the installed base of companion animals.
  • Backward compatibility. Only a reader-based standard ensures backward compatibility for all animals already microchipped, whereas a transponder-based standard introduces an entirely new and incompatible transponder into the market. A reader-based standard ensures 100% coverage for all participating systems. Trovan, Ltd. has recognised and supported the requirements of veterinaries and animal shelters for a multi-system reader.
  • Accordingly, Trovan, Ltd. went on record as early as 1992 with its offer to cross-license its reader interface to qualified and interested manufacturers for $1. In February, Trovan's U.S. distributors EID, Ltd. and Infopet Identification Systems have achieved an agreement with Avid for cross-licensing of reader interfaces, which will make available a multi-system reader capable of reading Trovan, Avid and Destron microchips.
  • Multiple sources of product. The multi-system reader supports a number of manufacturer's product lines, allowing users to select the system which best suits their requirements while choosing from a range of vendors.
  • Technological evolution is supported. New innovations in transponder and/or reader technology are accommodated, because readers need only be equipped with the new read protocol, if needed.
  • Data integrity is assured. In a reader-based standard, individual numbering schemes cannot be compromised, since each manufacturer continues to manufacture their own transponders and control their own numbering scheme to ensure unique ID numbers. A reader-based standard precludes fraudulent duplication of code numbers and overlapping number series provided by different manufacturers.
  • Does not require costly, bureaucratic, nationalised administration and distribution schemes by individual countries.

User response has been overwhelmingly positive to the announcement by InfoPet Identification Systems, EID Ltd. and AVID regarding the agreement to provide multi-system readers to shelters.

Mr. Ed Sayres, Director of Animal Protection Division, American Humane Association:

"We applaud the U.S. manufacturers of microchip technology and their collaborative efforts. Through their generous offer to provide universal scanners to all animal shelters, a monumental step has been achieved for returning lost animals to their owners."

Mr. Coy Willis, President of the National Animal Control Association:

"The National Animal Control Association and animal shelters across the nation are very excited about the agreement for common readers between the microchip companies., We will be happy to be able to recommend a technology that will greatly enhance animal identification."

Mr. Sherbyn W. Ostrich, V.M.D., President of the American Veterinary Medical Association:

"The American Veterinary Medical Association is extremely pleased that the North American manufacturers of identification chips have agreed to have a universal scanner that will be distributed to animal shelters across North America. With this technology now being uniform, the benefits to the animal owners will be enhanced, and the likelihood of finding a stray or stolen animal will be very much increased. The American Veterinary Medical Association applauds the manufacturers for their spirit of cooperation in order to benefit animals, and stands ready to help in any way possible."

The implementation of multi-system readers in animal shelters will create a standard which will serve the needs of the veterinary profession and which is in keeping with its professional standards and its interests. The reader-based standard precludes duplication of code numbers, protects the installed base of microchipped companion animals, while allowing users access to multiple suppliers who compete solely on the merits of their products. A reader-based standard is the preferred solution, favoured over a transponder- based standard, for markets where integrity of ID codes is essential (companion animal ID, identification of endangered species etc.), and where compatibility with an installed base is desirable.