RFID Pitched For Bird-Flu

A California company is marketing its RFID monitoring and surveillance technology as a way to potentially limit the spread of bird flu in Asia.

Smart-tek Solutions announced a plan Thursday to leverage its expertise and technology in attempts to containavian influenza.

The disease, which can sicken and sometimes kill humans, has been the focus of policy makers from the United States to China – not to mention a fair share of spammers, scammers and hackers.

The company said poultry farmers and bird keepers in Asia have doctored records out of fear that they'll suffer financially if their birds are culled and its RFID tagging technology can help enforce proper record-keeping.

Smart-tek technology allows for tagging, counting and documenting birds with end-user defined programs. The company points out that its system can be tailored to government needs for tracking poultry movement, providing owner information, identifying species and logging inspection dates.

Donald Gee, Smart-tek Solutions Chairman and CEO, is visiting China this week to discuss avian flu containment with officials there, according to a company statement.