On Nov. 5, the USDA’s final traceability rule went into effect, updating the existing requirement for animal identification for certain classes of cattle moving across state lines.

The rule, which amends the previous 2013 rule, now requires ear tags be both visually and electronically readable for sexually intact cattle that are 18 months of age or older, rodeo and exhibition cattle, and dairy cattle moving interstate.

According to the National Cattlemen Beef Association, the new final rule requiring electronic ID tags means the tags are much easier to read and would help with a faster traceability response during a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Sigrid Johannes, NCBA senior director of government affairs, and Alex Turner, director of the National Animal Disease Traceability and Veterinary Accreditation Center at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, spoke about the rule and how it may impact cattlemen on a webinar in September.

What cattle are affected? “The bulk of the 2013 rule has not changed,” Johannes said. “This still only applies to interstate movement of cattle.”

Cattle that are staying in their state of origin, or feeder cattle under 18 months of age, or cattle going directly to slaughter are not affected, she added.

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“So, we’re only talking about really the breeding herd,” she said.

Also the 2024 rule doesn’t supersede existing state disease monitoring requirements, according to NCBA.

Which tags are acceptable? Currently, the only EID technology approved by APHIS is an 840 tag. These tags can also be called “Visual Animal Identification Number” or “Visual AIN” tags. They are tamper-evident and imprinted with an official AIN 15-digit number that starts with “840.”

There are approved manufacturers with tags that meet the APHIS requirements, so cattle producers should talk with their veterinarians or animal health officials to find a tag that fits their needs. And so far, the 900 Series of tags do not fill the rule requirements because they haven’t been officially approved by APHIS, according to NCBA.

This update didn’t change the language regarding using brands, tattoos, or group or lot numbers that have historically been used to move cattle across state lines, Johannes said. And, if a cattle producer is using a metal tag in the ear of an animal covered under this rule — and it’s in the animal’s ear prior to Nov. 5 — that tag is grandfathered in, Johannes said. This just covers cattle that are being tagged Nov. 5 and moving forward.

Why is this being done? Traceability has been an industry priority for more than a decade. Johannes said NCBA’s policy book — written with direction of state affiliates with input from members — directs the organization to reaffirm its support for traceability that ensures efficiency, data privacy, cost-effectiveness and ease for producers.

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“In 2020, NCBA put a policy on the books that passed our Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee, that expressed those key priorities,” she said. The policy also reaffirmed support of U.S. Cattle Trace. The policy does not specify “voluntary” or “mandatory,” she adds, just support of a nationally significant animal disease traceability system.  

And that’s because the threat of a foreign animal disease outbreak is increasing. “There are truly hundreds of points of potential infection coming in and out of the United States every day,” Johannes said. “Everything from the boots on people’s feet to the goods we import from overseas. Every vehicle that crosses the border, every ship that comes into our ports, every visitor tracked and untracked into the country, all of these constitute a potential exposure and potential infection.”

NCBA estimates an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the cattle and beef sector could cause a $221 billion economic loss to U.S. producers. In an outbreak, speed and accuracy is essential to treating affected livestock, preventing the spread of the disease, and proving which herds are safe to move so business can get back to normal.

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Who knows my data? Johannes reiterated that the 840 tags do not have GPS tracking, and they do not transmit constant data about the location of cattle. “There are a lot of folks out there who want to know where cattle are at any given time for various motives, and that’s not something that we would ever want to see in place,” she said.

The tags cannot record, track or transmit environmental data, such as greenhouse gas emissions, Johannes added.

And while these tags are large repositories of information, they are protected from a Freedom of Information Act request under a specific exemption that protects privileged commercial and confidential financial information, she said. Johannes also said they are also exempted under a clause in FOIA that protects information that would invade an individual’s privacy were it to be disclosed, as well as legal precedent.

Who’s paying for this? The average cost of an 840 tag, according to NCBA, is about $3 per head. In the fiscal year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations package, there is language that directs USDA to spend $15 million on EID tags and related infrastructure, Johannes said. And NCBA staff are working to include the same language in 2025 appropriations as well.

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