The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has received a notice from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags as “official identification in cattle and bison.”
In July 2020, APHIS sought public comments on the use of RFID tags in the interstate movement of cattle required to be identified by the traceability regulations. RFID tags would be the only option for use, and would be mandatory by Jan. 1, 2023.
APHIS would grandfather in animals with metal tags already in place on that date, and their metal tags would serve as official identification for the remainder of their lifespan. According to DTN, OMB is presumably reviewing the notice and would finalize APHIS’ plans on this topic.
