As part of a pilot RFID program in China, the first batch RFID tags have been fixed on the bodies of 1000 live pigs in Sichuan to help track epidemics.

This is the first time that RFID technology has been adopted in pig breeding in China.

The pilot program is conducted by Sichuan Chunyuan Group, a pig food processing company, and Sichuan Dingtian RFID Technology and System Company.

According to Han Ke, a technician from Sichuan Dingtian, each e-tag is set inside a yellow marker which is fixed on a pig's ear.

With the e-tags fixed, Chinese consumers can easily check the breeding, butchering and circulation of a pig via a computer.

Zhang Qi, director of the State Golden Card Project office, says that by using RFID in the agricultural sector, epidemics can be better prevented and possible loss can be avoided.