34 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN December 2024 PEERS RECAPPING NEW EID REQUIREMENTS JESSE FULTON M.S. | NEBRASKA BEEF EXTENSION EDUCATOR AND DIRECTOR OF NEBRASKA BEEF QUALITY ASSURANCE With changes to the federal animal disease traceability rule taking effect on Nov. 5, 2024, producers may choose to explore the use of electronic identification (EID) in their operations beyond the requirements for disease traceability. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) required “official identification” for certain cattle and bison moved across state lines, but not for in-state movement. The goal of this rule was to improve disease traceability. Under the 2013 rule, “visual” ear tags were considered an official form of ID, as were certain pre-approved brands, tattoos and group lot IDs. The 2013 rule applies to the following animals only when they are crossing state lines: • Sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older. • All female cattle born on an operation classified as a “dairy operation” or belonging to breeds used to produce milk or other dairy products for human consumption, as well as all male cattle born on a “dairy operation” after March 11, 2013. • Cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo, recreational events, shows or exhibitions. Therefore, if cattle are not crossing state lines, they do not require EID; however, this does not override any existing state requirements for disease monitoring. Additionally, animals of any age going directly to slaughter do not require EID. For example, if six cull cows leave Nebraska for a harvest facility outside the state, they do not require EID. However, if these cull cows go to a cow “finishing” yard outside of the state before harvest, they will require EID. For producers sending cattle out of state to access feed resources (commuter herds), a movement permit is required that must be agreed upon with the tribal or state animal health officials of the destination state. For example, if your cow herd’s home location is in Nebraska, but you lease pasture in South Dakota, South Dakota does not require EID for those cattle when they enter, provided you have a movement permit from the South Dakota state veterinarian’s office. However, to bring these cattle back into Nebraska, EID will be required, as it is part of Nebraska’s regulations. 2024 RULE UPDATES The 2024 rule introduces two main changes for producers: 1. All official tags must be both visually and electronically readable. 2. All offspring of breeds used to produce milk or other dairy products for human consumption require EID (e.g., beef-on-dairy calves). In summary, the only changes to the rule are that “official tags” must be EID-readable and beef-on-dairy calves now fall under the “dairy definition” of the existing rule. Currently, the only tag accepted as a USDA official tag is an 840 tag, which designates the animal’s country of origin as the United States. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
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