New ear tag requirements coming!

Dr Sebastian Reist of NJDAH recently covered at our County Board of Ag meeting an update by the USDA on how RFID tags will be the required ID for cattle in the coming years to aid in traceability.

Net change? The metal tags used this year will not be available for free from DHIA or NJDAH at the end of 2019 and in 2023 they won't be recognized as official ID. In first years, there will be some subsidy e
xtended to RFID tags to aid in adoption.

Here is the official timeline from the USDA via Beef Magazine

Implementation timeline, RFIDs

USDA will require official radio-frequently identification ear tags for compliance with the nation’s mandatory Animal Disease Traceability program as of Jan. 21, 2023.

Dec. 31, 2019. USDA will discontinue providing free metal tags. However, approved vendors will may still produce official metal tags for one additional year. Approved vendor tags will be available to buy on a state-by-state basis as authorized by each state animal health official through Dec. 31, 2020.

Jan. 1, 2021. USDA will no longer approve vendor production of metal ear tags with the official USDA shield. Accredited veterinarians and producers can no longer apply metal ear tags for official identification and must start using official RFID tags only.

Jan. 1, 2023. To comply with ADT, RFID ear tags will be required for sexually intact beef cattle 18 months of age or older that are moved interstate, unless otherwise exempted. Animals tagged with metal ear tags will have to be retagged with RFID ear tags to move interstate. Feeder cattle and animals moving directly to slaughter are not subject to RFID requirements.