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APHIS issues final traceability rule

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection has issued its final traceability rule to require electronic ID tags for certain cattle and bison moving interstate.

Ethan Lane with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association tells Brownfield this is an update to the 2013 rule. “The class of cattle stayed the same, but they updated that requirement from what has been like a metal ear tag or bright tag to now what is being called a visually and electronically readable identification.”

The final rule applies to all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo or recreation events, and cattle or bison of any age used for shows or exhibitions. 

He says the rule hasn’t come without some pushback. “There’s also a lot of folks that are getting bad information, misinformation, fear mongering, you know, gosh, this is going to be used to measure emissions and this is going to be used for cow inventories so they can decrease herd size. None off that is part of what is being done here or contemplated, and USDA actually addresses that in their rule.”

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard says the USDA’s final EID rule doesn’t benefit cattle producers or consumers, instead it benefits multinational beef packers and multinational eartag manufacturers who profit at the expense of cattle producers and consumers.

Lane says a lot of work went into the appropriations process to ensure producers weren’t bearing the cost of this new rule. “We expect that USDA is going to very clearly illistrate to producers that the best course of action is going to be to go talk to their state vet to secure an inventory of those tags to use on their animals.”

APHIS says the technology will help quickly identify and respond to costly foreign animal diseases.

Dr. Michael Watson, APHIS administrator says rapid traceability in a disease outbreak helps limit how long farms are quarantined, it helps prevent the spread of the disease, and helps farmers and ranchers get back to business quicker and helps keep markets open.

Bullard says the rule is government overreach at its worst and the organization will continue to fight against its implementation because it infringes on the freedoms and liberties of the nation’s independent cattle farmers and ranchers. 

For information on how to obtain these free tags, please see the APHIS’ Animal Disease Traceability webpage.