The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paused its effort to mandate radio frequency identification ear tags for cattle and bison. The proposed rule was removed following a lawsuit filed by R-CALF. One of the lead plaintiffs in the case is Belvidere, South Dakota rancher Kenny Fox who serves as R-CALF’s Animal ID Chairman. He’s pleased the agency has pulled back but says their litigation is continuing.
He says the original move to mandate the RFID tags is government overreach.
USDA officials say they still believe RFID devices will provide the cattle industry with the best protection against the rapid spread of animal diseases. Fox says they’ve already been able to protect against that without the tags.
APHIS recently removed the RFID documents from its website saying it’s no longer representative of current agency policy.
