13 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR FROZEN BULL SEMEN USING A RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION TAG

Abstract

An appropriate traceability system is essential for safety during production and distribution of food products. In Japan, the ear-tag system has been applied for this purpose. In this system, newborn calves are tagged individually with a bar code, and are registered to the database, so that everyone can know the information regarding individual cattle and meat. However, the management of frozen semen and the validation of frozen straws are out of the scope of the system. A traceability system for beef production totally covering the progression from semen to meat is necessary for food safety and validation. We applied radio frequency identification (RFID) for the identification of individual frozen semen straws. RFID is the management technology that uses a small tag with a radio transmitter (RFID tag) that has recently been used in the field of distribution management. We consider this technology as a tool to trace artificial insemination (AI) data before the birth of a calf and to establish a management system for production of the Japanese Black cattle breed. The microchip (µ-chip) we used as an RFID tag was manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. The µ-chip is the smallest RFID chip in the world (0.4 mm square) and has a unique identification number (capable of corresponding to 128 bits, 10³⁸ in decimal notation) readable by the RFID tag reader. The µ-chip was attached to the frozen semen straw by ultrasonic sealing. We demonstrated that the µ-chip retained its function after being stored in liquid nitrogen for at least several months. The information for bull semen, which was dispensed into frozen semen straws with the attached µ-chips, was stored in the system database, and the straws were stored in liquid nitrogen. These straws with the µ-chips were distributed to local farmers and inseminated into recipient cattle; the AI conditions, results of pregnancy diagnosis, and birth conditions were recorded in the system database. This system using the µ-chips may be useful for confirmation and acquisition of trust for a commercially valuable bull and for the study of the improvement of AI for reproduction.