IRISH FARMERS will now be able to identify individual sheep by looking into their eyes because of Irish scientific research carried out at University College Dublin.
But the team, working under Prof Shane Ward, into biometric identifiers in animals, found that it is more difficult to identify cattle by looking at their muzzles.
The Irish scientists found they had total success when they photographed the retina of sheep by using infrared light to capture the unique pattern of blood vessels in the eye. When they used the camera with matching software on both eyes, they concluded they had a reliable way of identifying the sheep.
The report said the lines and grooves on an animal's muzzle are unique and is a well-established system of cattle identification in Japan. Using digital photographs, the scientists employed a pattern-recognition programme to store and match muzzles.
"They showed that the system was 99 per cent successful in identifying cattle and is a potential biometric identifier for Irish cattle," it added. "Obviously for any system to be used, it has to be 100 per cent successful. Further developments of image capture automation and more powerful matching algorithms are still needed," said the report.