Federal agency finalizes rule requiring electronic ID for livestock

CASPER (WNE) — The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a subsidiary of the USDA, recently finalized a rule requiring cattle traveling between states to have electronic identification ear tags.

The rule, slated to go into effect Nov. 4, is intended to improve the traceability of and agency reaction to “high-impact diseases” and “foreign animal diseases,” according to the document published in the Federal Register.

The new ear tags must be “visually and electronically readable,” according to the document summary.

Rep. Harriet Hageman expressed displeasure with the regulation, describing it as “a solution in search of a problem” and alleging that the new system will encroach on the privacy of ranchers.

More information on the rule, titled “Use of Electronic Identification Ear Tags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison,” can be found through the Federal Register.

This story was published on May 11, 2024.