Microchips - one world standard?

HAVE you ever sold a dog overseas, say to a breeder in the United States, and had to have it microchipped before it departs? Yes, we do have the right type of chips here ... but if you want to check that the chip is installed and readable before the dog leaves, many sellers have found that it is almost impossible to find out where "the USA scanner" is at any given time (there may be more than one in New Zealand, but one could be forgiven for assuming singularity).

Well, as this report from the Veterinary Assn confirms, the whole question of microchip standards has now been approached with strong recommendations for adoption of the ISO standard.

In response to strong lobbying by several parties, including the New Zealand Veterinary Association, Standards New Zealand (SNZ) has established a technical working group to examine the International Standards Organisation (ISO) standards for microchips, with the possibility of adopting them in New Zealand.

"Standardisation of microchip technology is crucial in ensuring all these devices can be read throughout New Zealand and the rest of the world," said Dr Chris Hutchings of the NZVA.

"This technology has enormous potential, not just in companion animal identification, but also in production animal systems. We are rapidly approaching a time where read/write technology will enable an animal's production and treatment records to be stored in chips on the animal," he said.

Dr Hutchings believes it will bring enormous benefits to food safety and quality assurance, reassuring customers that their food is derived from animals that are reared and treated according to specified, auditable standards.

"World Trade Organisation rules require the adoption of ISO standards where such standards exist. We are fortunate in New Zealand that only a small number of animals are currently microchipped.

The NZVA policy has ensured that veterinarians have been implanting ISO-compliant chips for the last few years," said Dr Hutchings.

In readiness for the adoption of the standard, the NZVA has developed a microchip quality assurance programme to set defined standards for microchipping centres. The technical working group is expected to report back to SNZ with a recommendation within the next few months.

"We hope that other issues relating to microchipping, such as performance standards for those implanting the microchips, registry standards and access to registries can be dealt with by statute.

"In this way, we hope to avoid the difficulties that have been encountered in other jurisdictions where microchipping for companion animals has become compulsory," said Dr Hutchings.

While there is no hint of microchipping pet animals becoming compulsory in this country in the near future, it must be remembered that it is the standard of the operation that is to be adopted, not the brand of chips. This means that although co-operating countries will use chips of the same high standard, the use of a variety of brands is unlikely to change, largely because of the present situation in America where different states use different brands of chips.

If the largest co-operating country is unable to standardise its chip brands, there is no likelihood of the remainder developing a common type - which one would they choose and which USA states would they alienate?

So most important now would seem to be the purchase and strategic placing throughout New Zealand of readers capable of reading all types of ISO quality chips ... and that would avoid importers/exporters having to courier a reader from Wellington to check a dog's chip number.