rfid tags and wal-mart

[redcountry]

anyone see the news about wal-mart requiring all their suppliers to start using rfid price tags in 2005.

the story headline was barcodes to become extinct,because they do not contain enough information, where the rfid can be programmed and read them from a distance.
etc. push a cart load of groceries through a scanner and checkout is complete.
what cought my attention was their claim the tags were reduced in price from .50 to .05

why are we paying 3.00 and more for a rfid ear tag for cattle when they can place a programmable chip in a plastic ear tag for .05

[pmckenna]

I'm not sure those tags would stand up in a feedlot environment - being indoors, room temperature, dry, clean, no electrical noise from pumps, prods, etc. all make a big difference to manufacturing cost. Still, you'd expect it to have at least some effect with the volume - though I imagine the administration costs in the CCIA are a part of it, WalMart doesn't have to spend much on that.

[rusty1]

redcountry - you ask a very good question. The Walmart tag is a High frequency tag and much cheaper to produce and market. (Many times cheaper). However CCIA in all thier wisdom has chosen to baisically ignore that technology. True a lot of the rest of the world has gone the way of "half-duplex and full-duplex", a considerable part of the world is going with the technology that Walmart, US MIlitary, Boieing and the list grows and grows. Including large parts of the world with livestock. However some tag companies have "bought" their way ito the govt. hallways and with enough "wineing and dinning" have convince our govt's to look the other way.
The high freq. tags can be robust enough to work the the livestock environmet, so that is not a problem.
The up side is huge. They are easily "Read-writable" with copiouius amounts of information such as birth-date, drugs admistered and even a love letter to youre friendly packer.
So go figure why has CCIA ignored the obvious, heaven really only knows.

[cowman]

Well maybe we could convince Walmart to sell RFID cattle eartags? Should be able to out compete UFA? UFA is about the highest priced store around.