Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced legislation on May 8 to prevent any rule or regulation from requiring the mandatory use of electronic identification (EID) tags, or radio frequency ID (RFID) tags.
“USDA’s proposed RFID mandate is federal government overreach, plain and simple,” Rounds said in a news release. “If farmers and ranchers want to use electronic tags, they can do so voluntarily.”
Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America and the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association endorse the bill.
“Whereas we have had ample protection and means to trace any animal health issues in the past, the mandatory direction by the United States government to use electronic animal ID tags will be a violation of constitutional personal property rights and unnecessary expense,” said Doris Lauing, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.
