ANIMAL EAR TAG AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH AN ANIMAL EAR TAG AND USE OF AN ANTIMICROBIAL ADDITIVE FOR PRODUCING AN AN-IMAL EAR TAG AND USE OF AN ANIMAL EAR TAG WITH AN ANTIMICROBI-AL ADDITIVE

Abstract

An animal ear tag for marking livestock, in particular cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. The animal ear tag comprises a plastic, wherein an antimicrobial additive is incorporated into the plastic.

Claims

1. Animal ear tag for marking livestock, in particular for cattle, pigs, goats and sheep, comprising the following features: the animal ear tag comprises a plastic; an antimicrobial additive is incorporated into the plastic.

2. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the animal ear tag comprises a first tag part and a second tag part which are configured to be attached to each other and to an ear of the livestock; the first tag part comprises the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated and/or the second tag part comprises the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated.

3. The animal ear tag according to claim 2, wherein: the first tag part comprises a tag body and a pin, wherein the pin is arranged with its first end on the tag body and wherein the pin comprises a tip and/or cutting edge at its second end; the second tag part comprises a tag body and a receiving element which is arranged on the tag body; the pin of the first tag part is configured to be pressed through an ear of the livestock and into the receiving element of the second tag part.

4. The animal ear tag according to claim 3, wherein: the tag body and/or the pin of the first tag part comprise the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated; and/or the tag body and/or the receiving element of the second tag part comprise the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated.

5. The animal ear tag according to claim 2, wherein: the first tag part is composed of more than 95% of the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated; and/or the second tag part is composed of more than 95% of the plastic into which the antimicrobial additive is incorporated.

6. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the antimicrobial additive is evenly distributed in the plastic.

7. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: concentration of the antimicrobial additive is 2% or less of total weight of the plastic.

8. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: concentration of the antimicrobial additive is in a range of 0.2% to 0.6% of the total weight of the plastic.

9. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the antimicrobial additive comprises a silver component.

10. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the antimicrobial additive comprises a silver component in a glass-ceramic carrier.

11. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the antimicrobial additive is formed on a basis of wet-milled inorganic carrier particles containing a silver component, wherein the inorganic carrier particles have a smooth surface and are produced by wet milling.

12. The animal ear tag according to claim 11, wherein: the inorganic carrier particles comprise glass particles with an average particle size of 0.01 m to 100 m and a silver component content of 0.01 to 5 wt. % or up to 10 wt. %.

13. The animal ear tag according to claim 12, wherein: the inorganic carrier particles are boron-containing and/or phosphate-containing glass particles that contain a silver salt as a silver component.

14. The animal ear tag according to claim 12, wherein: the inorganic carrier particles are boron-containing and/or phosphate-containing glass particles that contain silver oxide as a silver component.

15. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the antimicrobial additive is a crystalline powder.

16. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: 98% of particles of the antimicrobial additive are smaller than 5 m and 50% of the particles of the antimicrobial additive are smaller than 2 m.

17. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: a refractive index of the antimicrobial additive is 1.507 with a deviation of 10%.

18. The animal ear tag according to claim 1, wherein: the plastic is a thermoplastic polyurethane.

19. The animal ear tag according to claim 18, wherein: a biological content in the thermoplastic polyurethane is 32% with a deviation of 3%.

20. Method for producing the animal ear tag according to claim 1 wherein the following method steps: Feeding a granulate of thermoplastic polyurethane having a biological content of 32% with a deviation of 3% and an antimicrobial additive in the form of a crystalline powder into a mixer, the antimicrobial additive being 0.2% to 2% of the total weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, the antimicrobial additive being dosed in particular by means of a weight-based dosing device, a dosing funnel, a gravimetric dosing hopper, a side extruder or a tumbler; Mixing the granulate of thermoplastic polyurethane and the antimicrobial additive to provide a mixture; Feeding the mixture into a plastic injection moulding machine; and Producing the animal ear tag.

21. Use of an antimicrobial additive comprising a silver component for production of an animal ear tag for marking livestock, in particular for cattle, pigs, goats and sheep.

22. Use of an animal ear tag comprising an antimicrobial additive, wherein the antimicrobial additive contains a silver component, for marking livestock, in particular for cattle, pigs, goats and sheep.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] In the following, example embodiments are described purely by way of example with reference to the drawings. It shows:

[0063] FIGS. 1A, 1B: [0064] different views of a first tag part of the animal ear tag with a tag body and a pin;

[0065] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C: [0066] different views of a second tag part of the animal ear tag with a tag body and a receiving element;

[0067] FIGS. 3A, 3B: [0068] different views showing a connection of the first and second tag parts to each other and to an ear of a livestock; and

[0069] FIG. 4: a flowchart showing a method for producing the animal ear tag.

[0070] FIG. 5: [0071] an illustration of an example tag attached to an ear of an animal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0072] The structure of the animal ear tag 1 is explained in more detail in the following figures. As shown in FIG. 5, the animal ear tag 1 is used to mark livestock. The animal ear tag 1 comprises a first tag part 2 and a second tag part 3. The first tag part 2 and the second tag part 3 can be attached to each other and to an ear 4 (see FIGS. 3A, 3B, 5) of a livestock.

[0073] FIGS. 1A and 1B show the first tag part 2 of the animal ear tag 1. The first tag part 2 comprises a tag body 5 and a pin 6, which is arranged with its first end 6a on the tag body 5 and which comprises a tip 7 and/or cutting edge at its second end 6b. The pin 6 is arranged at one end region of the tag body 5, wherein the tag body 5 widens starting from this first end region. FIG. 1B shows the rear side of the tag body 5 from FIG. 1A.

[0074] The tag body 5 of the first tag part 2 has a maximum height h.sub.1 which is preferably greater than 4.5 cm, 5 cm, 5.5 cm or greater than 6 cm and which is preferably less than 6.5 cm or less than 6 cm. Preferably, the maximum height h.sub.1 is 5.9 cm. The tag body 5 of the first tag part 2 has a maximum width b.sub.1 which is preferably greater than 4.5 cm, 5 cm, 5.5 cm or greater than 6 cm and which is preferably less than 6.5 cm or less than 6 cm. Preferably, the maximum width b.sub.1 is 5.6 cm.

[0075] The pin 6 of the first tag part 2 has a length l.sub.1 which is greater than 1.2 cm, 1.5 cm, 2 cm or which is greater than 2.5 cm and which is preferably less than 2.3 cm. Preferably, the length l.sub.1 is 2.29 cm.

[0076] The tag body 5 and/or the pin 6 of the first tag part 2 comprise a plastic in which an antimicrobial additive is incorporated. Preferably, the plastic of the tag body 5 and the pin 6 is the same. However, different plastics can also be provided. In principle, it is also possible that the tip 7 and/or cutting edge of the pin 6 is made of or comprises a different material, for example a metal, compared to the rest of the pin 6 or the tag body 5.

[0077] The tag body 5 of the first tag part 2 has a thickness of approximately 1 mm.

[0078] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show the second tag part 3 of the animal ear tag 1. The second tag part 3 comprises a tag body 8 and a receiving element 9, which is arranged on the tag body 8. The receiving element 9 is configured to receive the pin 6 of the first tag part 2.

[0079] The tag body 8 of the second tag part 3 has a maximum height h.sub.2 which is preferably greater than 6 cm, 6.5 cm, 7 cm, 7.5 cm or greater than 8 cm and which is preferably less than 8.5 cm or less than 8 cm. Preferably, the maximum height h.sub.2 is 7.8 cm. The tag body 8 of the second tag part 3 has a maximum width b.sub.2, which is preferably greater than 4.5 cm, 5 cm, 5.5 cm or greater than 6 cm and which is preferably less than 6.5 cm or less than 6 cm. Preferably, the maximum width b.sub.2 is 5.6 cm.

[0080] The receiving element 9 of the second tag part 3 has a length l.sub.2 which is greater than 0.5 cm, 0.8 cm, 1 cm or greater than 1.5 cm and which is preferably less than 2 cm or less than 1.5 cm. Preferably, the length l.sub.2 is 1.12 cm.

[0081] The tag body 8 and/or the receiving element 9 of the second tag part 3 comprise a plastic into which an antimicrobial additive is incorporated. Preferably, the plastic of the tag body 8 and the receiving element 9 is the same. However, different plastics can also be used.

[0082] The tag body 8 of the second tag part 3 has a thickness of approx. 1 mm.

[0083] FIG. 2C shows a rear side of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0084] FIGS. 3A and 3B show different views illustrating a connection of the first and second tag parts 2, 3 to each other and to the ear 4 of the livestock. Both tag parts 2, 3 are preferably pressed together with a pair of pliers, whereby the ear 4 of the livestock is arranged between both tag parts 2, 3. Both tag parts 2, 3 move towards each other, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3A.

[0085] The pin 6 of the first tag part 2 comprises at least one or at least two barbs 10, which engage in a corresponding counterpart in the receiving element 9 of the second tag part 3 and prevent the first tag part 2 from being pulled off the second tag part 3.

[0086] The pin 6 of the first tag part 2 can be partially hollow.

[0087] At least part of the pin 6 and the tag body 5 of the first tag part 2 are configured in one piece and preferably comprise the same plastic.

[0088] The plastic and the antibacterial additive can be composed according to the explanations in the introduction to the description.

[0089] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart explaining a method for producing the animal ear tag 1. In a first process step S.sub.1, a granulate of thermoplastic polyurethane with a biological content of 32% with a deviation of 3% and an antimicrobial additive in the form of a crystalline powder is added to a mixer, wherein the antimicrobial additive is 0.2% to 2% of the total weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, wherein the antimicrobial additive is dosed in particular by means of a gravimetric dosing hopper, side extruder or tumbler. In a second process step S.sub.2, the granulate of thermoplastic polyurethane and the antimicrobial additive are mixed together. In a third process step S.sub.3, the mixture is fed to a plastic injection moulding machine. In a fourth process step S.sub.4, the animal ear tag 1 is produced by the plastic injection moulding machine. In the event that the animal ear tag 1 comprises a first and a second tag part 2, 3, both tag parts 2, 3 can be produced by means of a common injection mould at the same time or in different injection moulds.

[0090] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described. Within the scope of the invention, all described and/or drawn features can be combined with each other as desired.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0091] Animal ear tag 1 [0092] First tag part 2 [0093] Second tag part 3 [0094] Ear (of a livestock) 4 [0095] Tag body (of the first tag part) 5 [0096] Pin (of the first tag part) 6 [0097] First end (of the pin) 6a [0098] Second end (of the pin) 6b [0099] Tip (of the pin) 7 [0100] Tag body (of the second tag part) 8 [0101] Receiving element (of the second tag part) 9 [0102] Barb 10 [0103] Height of tag body (first tag part) h.sub.1 [0104] Width of tag body (first tag part) b.sub.1 [0105] Length of pin l.sub.1 [0106] Height of tag body (second tag part) h.sub.2 [0107] Width of tag body (second tag part) b.sub.2 [0108] Length of receiving element l.sub.2 [0109] Process steps S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3, S.sub.4