(NAFB) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has paused its effort to mandate radio-frequency identification (RFID) ear tags for cattle and bison. The proposal would have mandated the ear tags for animals moved in interstate commerce beginning in January of 2023. A guidance document detailing the proposal on the USDA website was recently removed, following a lawsuit against the proposal filed by R-CALF USA. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says that based on industry feedback and executive branch policy, “APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) believes that we should revisit those guidelines.”
President Donald Trump earlier this month signed an executive order to stop federal agencies from using guidance documents to impose rules. APHIS removed the factsheet from its website, saying it is “no longer representative of current agency policy.”
R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard called the proposal a federal overreach by USDA, saying the proposal would “gift RFID ear tag manufactures” more profits. USDA says it still believes “RFID devices will provide the cattle industry with the best protection against the rapid spread of animal diseases.”
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasters