Livestock Identification Market Report 2026

The livestock identification market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $2.47 billion in 2025 to $2.69 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising disease outbreaks in livestock populations, increasing need for traceability compliance, early use of ear tags and barcodes, growing livestock commercialization, expansion of government-led identification programs.

The livestock identification market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $3.81 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to greater demand for real-time tracking systems, rising use of AI-based animal monitoring, increasing adoption of cloud livestock databases, growth in cross-border livestock trade regulations, expanding automation in herd management. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing demand for accurate animal tracking, expansion of electronic identification methods, growth in herd health and productivity monitoring, rising adoption of tamper-proof identification solutions, greater focus on centralized record-keeping systems.

The rising demand for animal welfare is expected to drive the growth of the livestock identification market in the coming years. Animal welfare refers to the ethical and moral obligation of humans to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of animals under their care or influence. This demand is increasing due to heightened public awareness and concern about animal treatment, fueled by greater media coverage, education, and advocacy initiatives. Livestock identification supports animal welfare by enabling more efficient and targeted management practices, strengthening disease control efforts, and ensuring animals receive proper care and timely interventions to maintain their health and well-being. For example, in March 2025, the American Pet Products Association (APPA), a US-based nonprofit trade association, reported that total U.S. pet industry spending reached approximately US$152 billion in 2024, with sales expected to increase to around US$157 billion in 2025. Therefore, the growing emphasis on animal welfare is anticipated to boost the livestock identification market.

Major companies in the livestock identification market are prioritizing the development of advanced RFID-enabled handheld reader systems to improve animal traceability, streamline data collection, and increase farm management efficiency. These devices use radio-frequency signals to wirelessly scan and capture data from electronic identification (EID) tags attached to livestock, enabling fast, contactless identification compared to traditional visual ear tags. For example, in October 2024, Merck & Co., Inc., a U.S.-based animal health company, launched the ALLFLEX APR Series Handheld RFID Readers (models APR650 and APR250) for digital livestock management. The readers offer wireless data transfer, barcode scanning, and storage capacity for up to one million records, along with vibration and LED feedback, ergonomic design, and smartphone app integration to improve traceability, productivity, and real-time livestock health management.

In September 2024, 701x, a U.S.-based software company, acquired DigitalBeef LLC for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, 701x aims to expand its service capabilities and introduce new products that better support customers in the livestock industry by integrating 701x’s advanced cattle management technology with DigitalBeef’s established breed registry platform. DigitalBeef LLC is a U.S.-based company that provides livestock management software to track and store data.

Major companies operating in the livestock identification market are DeLaval Inc., Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited, Nedap N.V., BouMatic LLC, SCR Dairy Inc., Ceres Tag Ltd, AEG Identification Systems, Y-Tex Corporation, Afimilk Ltd, MS Schippers B.V., Avid Identification Systems Inc., Shearwell Data Ltd, IdentiGEN Limited, Quantified AG, Animana B.V., Cainthus Ltd, Connecterra B.V., Cowlar Ltd, Datamars SA, Küpsan Hayvanclk, Moocall Ltd, CowManager B.V., Allflex Livestock Intelligence Ltd.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs are affecting the livestock identification market by increasing costs for imported RFID tags, scanners, microchips, and digital tracking hardware, thereby raising expenses across hardware and software adoption for cattle, poultry, and swine applications. Regions with heavy reliance on imported electronic components especially North America, Europe, and parts of Asia-Pacific experience higher deployment costs and slower implementation rates. Still, tariffs may promote the development of domestic identification device manufacturing, strengthen local software ecosystems, and reduce long-term reliance on external supply chains.

The main types of livestock identification are hardware and software. Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer or any device, including its internal and external parts. And it includes various product types such as microchips, radio frequency identification tags, bolus tags, neck tags, and other identification systems, it used technologies are radio frequency identification (RFID), barcodes, global positioning systems (GPS), and others, and they are used in various applications such as in cattle, poultry, swine/pigs, and others.

Livestock identification refers to the process of uniquely identifying individual animals or groups of animals for various purposes, such as traceability, disease control, and record-keeping. It involves keeping records on individual farm animals or groups of farm animals so that they can be easily tracked.

The main types of livestock identification are hardware and software. Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer or any device, including its internal and external parts. And it includes various product types such as microchips, radio frequency identification tags, bolus tags, neck tags, and other identification systems, it used technologies are radio frequency identification (RFID), barcodes, global positioning systems (GPS), and others, and they are used in various applications such as in cattle, poultry, swine/pigs, and others.North America was the largest region in the Livestock identification market in 2025. The regions covered in the livestock identification market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the livestock identification market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The livestock identification market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services such as RFID tagging services, ear tagging services, biometric identification services, consulting and integration services, and regulatory compliance services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The livestock identification market consists of sales of electronic identification (EID) tags, handling equipment, feed and nutrition products, electronic monitoring systems, branding equipment, and tattooing equipment. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.