Ag News

Animal Disease Traceability rule takes effect Nov. 5

The USDA’s ear tag rule for some cattle and bison goes into effect Nov. 5, after which cattle and bison being moved across state lines will have to have an official electronic ID tag (EID).

This includes beef-on-dairy calves, according to Georgia Milk Producers. The rule expands the definition of dairy cattle to include all animals born from dairy cows.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) says the rule will enhance the U.S.’ ability to limit impacts from animal disease and help maintain producers’ access to foreign markets.

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

The USDA will continue to provide tags to producers free of charge to jumpstart efforts to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease. For information on how to obtain these free tags, please see APHIS’ Animal Disease Traceability webpage.

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.

In an APHIS “Myth Busters” fact sheet, the agency attempts to dispel what it calls common myths related to the rule, among them: The availability of the ear tags (there is no shortage, APHIS says); Only animals subject to the rule should be tagged; official identification tags applied to cattle and bison prior to the date the rule is effective will be considered official identification for the lifetime of the animal; the regulations do not require orange tags for animals that have been vaccinated for brucellosis; animals with official EID tags of any type or color do not need to be retagged; EID tags are encoded with number but no owner-specific information;

the rule does not change how APHIS monitors compliance or change penalties for violations.

APHIS urged producers who are unable to meet compliance requirements by Nov. 5 to contact the state veterinarian at AnimalHealth@agr.georgia.gov or 404-656-3667.

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