Microchips: past, present and future
Abstract
With the recent announcement by Defra that it has opened a public consultation into making microchips compulsory the differences in microchips and databases are discussed, as well as its history, function and the future of the microchip.
In 1989, the small but significant microchip was introduced to the UK market from the USA. Just slightly larger than a grain of rice the microchip is a radio frequency identification device (RFID), it operates without batteries and is activated by a low-frequency emitted by scanners. Once activated a 15 digit identification number is presented which will have been registered with a microchip database and linked to the pet and its owner.
Animalcare was the first microchip database on the UK market with the idENTICHIP microchip, although Datamars, manufacturers of Tracer Advance had been developing other state of the art RFID products since 1988. Avid, had been manufacturing microchips in other countries since 1985, but only came over to the UK in 1991 and in 1995 the Kennel Club set up the Petlog database which is now the UK’s largest.
In 1996, the Microchip Advisory Group was set up by the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), since then it has been responsible for monitoring the success of the microchipping industry as well as identifying and subsequently rectifying any problems.
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