Today, a large number of manufacturers are in competition for the identification of world livestock population . In 2004, the U.S. Government asked farmers to use EID or Electronic Identification ear tags on all their cattle. This request was part of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) spurred by the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. Due to poor performance and concern that other people could access their confidential information, only about 30 percent of cattle producers in the United States tried using EID tags using standards based on the low frequency standards, while the UHF standards are being mandated for use in Brazil, Paraguay, and Korea . The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a list of manufacturers approved to sell ear tags in the USA. Ear tags (conventional and electronic) are used in the EU as official ID system for cattle, sheep and goat, in some cases combined with RFID devices The International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) controls the issue electronic tag numbers under ISO regulation 11784. The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia's system for tracing cattle, sheep and goats from birth to slaughter. In Canada, the Health of Animals Regulations require approved ear tags on all bison, cattle and sheep that leave the farm of origin, except that a bovine may be moved, without a tag, from the farm of origin to a tagging site. RFID (radio frequency identification) tags are used for cattle in Canada and metal as well as RFID tags have been in use for sheep. Mandatory RFID tagging of sheep in Canada (which was previously scheduled to take effect January 1, 2013) will be deferred to some later date. Other forms of animal identification Pigs, cattle and sheep are frequently earmarked with pliers that notch registered owner and/or age marks into the ear. Mares on large horse breeding farms have a plastic tag attached to a neck strap for identification; which preserves their ears free of notches. Dairy cows are sometimes identified with ratchet fastened plastic anklets fitted on the pastern for ready inspection during milking; however NLIS requirements apply to cattle - including both dairy and beef animals. More commonly coloured electrical tape is used as short term ankle identifiers for dairy animals to identify when one teat should not be milked for any reason. Laboratory rodents are often marked with ear