Retinal scans eyed for New Mexico cattle in country’s battle against agroterrorism

NMSU researchers are testing advanced eye-scanning technology on cattle as part of a national tracking system for animal health.

“Retinal scans are part of a growing technological trend in cattle identification,” said Manny Encinias, livestock specialist at NMSU’s Clayton Livestock Research Center.

Each retina, whether bovine or human, is unique and a scan is one of the most accurate forms of identification, he said.

The NMSU evaluations are part of an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement a National Animal Identification System. The goal is to track and identify all animals and premises that have had contact with an animal disease of concern within 48 hours of an initial diagnosis. A National Animal Identification System is an important part of the nation’s war on terror, said Billy Dictson, director of the Office of Biosecurity for NMSU’s College of Agriculture and Home Economics. State and federal officials realize that an agroterrorism attack could be devastating.

In a first-of-its-kind project for New Mexico, scientists tested 35 market steers from 18 Quay County farm families, using a combination of eye-scanning and radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags for animal ID evaluation. To make the digital record, the cow is held in what’s known as a squeeze chute and the scanner’s eye-cup, specially molded for a cow’s face, is held to each animal’s eye.

The scanner senses when the eye is open, automatically makes an image, and downloads the data to a computer database.
The device also records the date, time and a global positioning satellite coordinate of the location.

“It’s as simple as taking a picture,” Encinias said.

Among show cattle, researchers found that the retinal scans proved a near-perfect animal ID technology because of its speed and accuracy, Encinias said. However, the eye-scans might not be practical on a working ranch due to the cost and technical skill required.

The animal ID projects, conducted in cooperation with the state veterinarian’s office and the New Mexico Livestock Board, were funded through a USDA grant and designed to evaluate technology specifically for New Mexico’s varied production environments.

When the idea of mandatory cattle identification was introduced several years ago, producers were concerned about expense, inconvenience and loss of privacy. But experts stress the importance of controlling cattle diseases before they get out of hand, said Clay Mathis, a livestock specialist with NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service. Even though the new system will cost producers more money, it will eventually mean the full tracking of animal movement throughout the nation.

Norman Martin