Current status of electronic ear tags on cattle

Producers shipping certain types of cattle and bison across state lines might have to use electronic identification (EID or RFID) tags if a final rule developed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) becomes effective.

The new final rule, originally proposed in 2022, will expand the requirements for ear tags used as official identification.  For animals tagged after the rule’s effective date, the ear tags “must be readable both visually and electronically (EID).”

Effective date of the rule.  The EID requirement is not yet effective. The final rule will take effect 180-days after the rule was published in the Federal Register.  USDA published the final rule on May 9, 2024, making the effective date November 5, 2024.

Review the complete article here: New rule and legislation on electronic ear tags for cattle: a continuing battle