USDA’s updated Animal Disease Traceability rule mandating electronic identification (EID) for cattle is set to go into effect on Nov. 5. Cattle will now be required to have both visually and electronically readable ear tags.
The rule covers cattle that are sexually intact and over 18 months of age that are crossing a state line, along with all dairy cattle and exhibition cattle. Animals headed directly to slaughter are exempt, along with animals whose metal tags were applied ahead of the implementation date and conform to the National Uniform Eartagging System. USDA allocated $15 million to help offset the cost of EID tags for ranchers, which can be obtained for free from state veterinarians. T
o view a list of state veterinarians and their contact info, visit tinyurl.com/4dvcz6sy.
