A United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule requiring newly applied cattle and bison official ID tags to have both a visual and electronic component will go into effect on November 5, 2024. Currently, the only official tags that meet these requirements are 840 RFID tags.
This requirement applies to official identification placed for any reason, including interstate movement, brucellosis vaccination, and tuberculosis testing. Cattle tagged with visual-only official tags prior to November 5, 2024, do not need to be retagged unless they lose their ID. These changes only apply to official ID for cattle and bison.
The purpose of this rule is to improve livestock traceability. Electronic identification tags and systems provide many advantages over traditional metal tags. This includes faster information sharing, more accurate and precise identification of animals, and significantly faster record searches during disease outbreaks.
Along with the transition to electronic identification, the rule also clarifies the definition of “dairy cattle” to include crossbred calves of any breed that are born to dairy cattle. This means these animals will need to be identified as dairy cattle for interstate movement.
In addition, the rule requires that all dairy cattle, including dairy steers, have individual official ID included on certificates of veterinary inspection (CVIs). A statement on the CVIs that dairy steers are officially identified will no longer be sufficient.
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