RealTimeID® is a privately-owned Norwegian company founded in 2020 by Jan Sandnes, a serial tech entrepreneur and sheep farmer with innovations featured on national TV, along with a reindeer farmer who brings extensive experience as an owner and board member in the meat processing industry. Together, they leveraged their expertise in livestock management, hardware, and software to develop a pioneering solution in precision livestock farming. RealTimeID® is committed to advancing sustainable animal welfare, health monitoring, and food safety, all while ensuring compliance with stringent EU regulatory standards.
The company was inspired by new regulations introduced in 2019 mandating ID marking for reindeer, a challenge that sparked an opportunity to revolutionize livestock identification and welfare management. In response, the founders developed a smart ear tag equipped for real-time data collection and monitoring, offering deep insights into each animal’s health and activity.
To validate the solution, Norwegian authorities funded a multi-year testing program, conducted by an R&D institute across vast, remote grazing lands in extreme northern environments, confirming the system’s accuracy and reliability. With successful results, RealTimeID® has positioned itself as a disruptive force in the livestock industry, capable of reliable and large-scale tracking.
With a commercial launch planned for 2025, RealTimeID® is on track to become a leader in precision farming. The system provides real-time insights, an automated animal registry, and empowers farmers to enhance operational efficiency, meet regulatory compliance, and improve animal welfare. This innovative technology helps farmers tackle modern challenges in food safety and sustainability while reducing manual labor and boosting productivity
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The idea
was to offer reindeer owners a suitable ear tag with more advantages than the traditional visual and RFID tags.
The company entered into pilot customer contracts with three reindeer owners and received start-up funds from Innovation Norway.
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Along the way
the idea matured to include several animal species and Innovation Norway demanded that the company hire the patent board to check whether the product had "freedom to operate". Innovation Norway contributed with the financing of the patent applications prepared by a recognized European IPR law firm.
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Our desire
is to create an ear tag that would allow the animals to communicate important information with their owner, such as identity, location, activity and welfare information, through an ultra-light ear tag with a lifetime lifespan.