Cattle group to continue battling USDA over mandatory RFID

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Cattle group to continue battling USDA over mandatory RFID

A cattle organization says they will continue to oppose USDA’s efforts to require RFID cattle tags.

Bill Bullard with R-CALF USA says, “Unfortunately, the agency is dead set upon gaining control over the live cattle supply chain in the United States and the first step to do that is to require every producer to begin using the RFID technology.”

Bullard tells Brownfield they defeated a previous attempt last fall, but USDA again published a proposal in the Federal Register Monday with plans to require RFID tags for moving livestock across state lines, which Bullard says is the most expensive way to trace animals.  “Currently, with the cost-price squeeze producers are experiencing, this is not the time for the agency to mandate additional production costs.”

Bullard says R-CALF is also critical of the USDA for planning to distribute millions of foreign-made RFID tags to cattle producers for free, contrary to President Trump’s executive order to buy American and hire Americans, bypassing domestic manufacturers and supply chains.

An October 5th deadline has been set for cattle producers to submit comments online about USDA’s RFID proposal.  R-CALF USA is planning to challenge it in court.

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