Mandatory traceability has been a sore subject among cattle producers for a long time. Some believe the electronic identification device (EID) is too invasive and subject to data theft, but Sigrid Johannes, NCBA senior director, government affairs, assures producers the new rule requiring EIDs will benefit the industry.
While metal ID tags are low cost and easy to apply, they’re difficult to read and it’s easy to make mistakes when transferring information to paper or computer. The electronic reader system used to scan tags is faster, easier and more humane for both cattle and handlers.
Work toward establishing the new rule for requiring an EID has been ongoing for more than 10 years. “APHIS has had a rule on the books since 2013 regarding the requirements surrounding official animal identification for the interstate movement of certain classes of cattle,” said Johannes. “The bulk of the 2013 rule is unchanged by the new rule.”
In July 2020, APHIS began distributing free EID tags to states, but in 2023, they realized the 2020 rule wasn’t working. It was abandoned in favor of a notice for new rulemaking on EIDs.
“In 2023, there was a comment period, and NCBA participated in it,” said Johannes. “We drew on recommendations from our internal working group and from the policy passed by the Cattle Health and Well Being Committee. We came up with comments to outline our priorities for a national animal disease traceability system.”
NCBA’s chief priorities for a revised national traceability system were the same as for previous versions: data privacy, minimal cost to cow/calf producers, efficiency and the ability to operate at the speed of commerce, compatibility with existing animal disease systems and safeguards. The system will work with private sector groups such as U.S. Cattle Trace as well as existing state inspection and brand inspection.
Johannes said Cattle Health 10.3 in the NCBA policy book is the guiding hand for traceability. This point allows for a separate rule-making process for cattle under 18 months and states that any rule for feeder cattle should be separate from other classes covered in the final rule.
“In April 2024, APHIS published the final rule,” said Johannes. “The bulk of priorities were reflected in the final rule, and now it’s a live ball. The effective date for the final rule is November 5, 2024.”
The old metal ear tags must be replaced with EID tags by Nov. 5 if producers are moving cattle across state lines. Photo by Courtney Llewellyn
The new rule applies to all sexually intact cattle 18 months or older, all dairy cattle and all cattle headed to rodeo, show or exhibition. It applies only to interstate movement of cattle, not cattle moved within a state.
For cattle with visual-only ear tags covered under the rule prior to Nov. 5, tags are grandfathered in for the duration of the life of the animal. Any animals tagged last year and prior to Nov. 5 don’t need new tags.
According to Johannes, the language in the 2013 rule regarding the use of brands as a form of official animal identification for interstate movement has not changed. “If a producer has an agreement between the shipping and receiving states, that’s the agreement under which you’ve been using brands as your official form of animal ID since 2013,” she said. “You’re still good to continue doing that.”
She outlined some producer concerns, primarily around data safety. “The 840 tags are not GPS tracking devices,” said Johannes. “They do not transmit constant data about the location of cattle. Also, the tags cannot record, track or transmit environmental data.”
NCBA doesn’t want the cost of EIDs passed on to cow/calf producers, so APHIS is spending that money. The next step is securing $15 million to fund tags and infrastructure. NCBA is urging USDA to approve more types of tags and technology to provide options for producers drive down costs.
The threat of animal disease, particularly a foreign animal disease outbreak, is growing, and there are numerous potential infection points from people, vehicles and goods coming into the U.S. This traffic can potentially result in devastating diseases such as FMD and immediate impacts on the cattle industry to the tune of $221 billion in lost economic activity and a stop movement order for all cattle across the country.
“We want to make sure the system we have in place can operate quickly and accurately, and find which animals are safe to move,” said Johannes. “It will be just as important to find the herds that are safe to move and aren’t exposed as it will be to find the animals that are potentially infected.”
APHIS delivers free EID tags to the states and from there, it’s at the states’ discretion to distribute tags. For cattle producers who aren’t yet using 840 EID tags, Johannes recommended contacting the appropriate state animal health official to ensure compliance by Nov. 5.
by Sally Colby
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