Smartrac, an RFID technology leader, has announced the market launch of InTrace Cannula, the first member of the new InTrace product family. The Animal ID product solution is an enhanced transponder implanting system for easy and efficient RFID tagging of most animal species, including pets, cattle, sheep, horses, fish, birds or reptiles.

InTrace Cannula contains three components in a single blister package: a cannula; a Smartrac Glass Tag pre-installed in the cannula; and six barcoded stickers for registration, recording veterinarian treatment or for use by the animal’s owner. The package is programmed with Smartrac’s specific ICAR code, or it can optionally carry a manufacturer/country code provided by the customer.

The thin, stainless-steel cannula features a facet cut that ensures a fast and easy injection. The cannula package comes with a luer lock connector, a mandrin and a protective cap at the needle tip. The mandrin is a slim, plastic stick inside the cannula for single implanting use to avoid the transmission of infection. The stick, together with a tiny silicon dot inside the needle tip, prevents accidental dropout of the transponder at either end of the cannula. InTrace Cannula is ethylene oxide gas-sterilized and germ-free for a minimum duration of five years after production.

The system complies with international ISO standards 11784/11785 and is available globally with three different sizes of transponder, which is made from biocompatible glass and manufactured in Germany to exacting standards. Optionally, transponders can be delivered with a parylene coating – a feature that stabilizes the tag’s position under the animal’s skin. In addition, the data contained in the animal transponder is suitable for full integration into Smartrac’s cloud services platform Smart Cosmos.

“Complementing Smartrac‘s comprehensive Animal ID portfolio, InTrace Cannula offers distinct benefits to our customers,” says says Robert Blaschke, head of Animal ID Segment at Smartrac. “The new system features fast and secure implanting of our market-leading glass tags without stressing the animal unnecessarily. It offers a cost-efficient way to provide countless animals with electronic identities on the Internet, enabling innovative solutions in the fast growing markets for livestock farming, pet applications or laboratory environments.”