CDFA cautions against unofficial EID tags 

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is warning producers about counterfeit “840” tags being sold online.

USDA’s Final Animal Disease Traceability Rule mandated official visual and electronic ID for cattle and bison starting Nov. 5, 2024. Official “840” tags must include a U.S. shield, the statement “unlawful to remove” and begin with “840003.” Some knockoff tags may resemble official ones but lack these features. Tags starting with “USA” or numbers in the “900” series are not valid for disease traceability or interstate movement.

CDFA urges producers to buy only from USDA-approved sources and never purchase “USDA-certified” tags without providing a valid Premises Identification Number.