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Using RFID To Prevent Mad Cow Disease

Posted by timothy on from the bovine-placation dept.

prostoalex writes "Associated Press suggests that the United States might be on the move to create a centralized animal database that would track all sorts of information about the farm animals, including their origins. RFID technology comes into play, apparently, with cheap tags that could be assigned to animals right after birth and special scanners capable of retrieving the RFID and fetching the data from the centralized database."

5 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. What if you eat the RFID? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    special scanners capable of retrieving the RFID

    Would they track it thorough your intestines?

    "Pardon me sir, but you are currently digesting Mad Cow meat. Please stop!"

    1. Re:What if you eat the RFID? by dchamp · · Score: 2, Funny

      I was just wondering if RFID tags were robust enough to survive the meat grinder. :/

  2. like a national ID card? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    A possible conversation overheard sometime in 2006:

    Jim: Well Bob, since 2003 the mad cow epidemic has claimed 150,000 lives and forced the destruction of billions of dollars worth of cattle. In fact, there is no beef market in the united states any more and the global recession can be linked directly to that.

    Bob: Yes, Jim, what a terrible waste.

    Jim: But I have some good news. Thanks to the multi-billion dollar animal RFID program started in early 2004, we can now identify the cow that began the whole horrible chain of events. In fact I can even pull up her picture here on my smartphone.

    Bob: Wow, her picture and everything? Cool! Too bad this technology didn't help us prevent the disaster.

    Jim: Yup. But my stock in RFIDCorp is WAY the fuck up!

  3. Re:Finally... by jag164 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh really? Well I'm a life member of PETA and this a disturbing invasion of a bovine's privacy. I'd further like to *BANG*...

  4. Why bother? by psyconaut · · Score: 2, Funny

    When you can just conveniently blame Canada?

    -psy