The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finalized new cattle branding regulations for imported cattle. It simplifies the branding identifiers for steers, spayed heifers and sexually intact bovines shipped from Mexico. It uses the letter M for all brands. R CALF CEO Bill Bullard says the rule makes sense and they’re group is ok with it.
He says identifying cattle with the brand is the best way to go but they do have concerns with ear tags.
Bullard says the best way to identify cattle is through the hot iron brand.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the changes should reduce the need for rebranding and the potential for branding errors. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect in mid January.
