In order to increase animal disease traceability, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced in April 2024 a rule update requiring that certain cattle and bison possess electronic identification (EID) ear tags when travelling between state lines. The rule goes into effect on November 5, 2024, and requires that all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, and all cattle and bison used in rodeo, exhibition, recreational events and livestock shows which move across state lines possess EID tags. 

The APHIS Administrator said in a statement that the purpose of the rule update is to prevent the spread of animal disease by increasing traceability and to decrease the impacts of on-farm quarantines as EID tags would better identify and localize disease outbreak areas. Although the EID tag requirement only applies to certain cattle and bison that cross state lines, the updated rule requires that these EID tags are visually and electronically readable for official use and does not require any animal with an existing official tag to be retagged with an EID for any reason. 

Although Congress recently allocated $15 million towards ensuring adequate availability and cost abatement of APHIS tags, producers who intend to transport dairy cattle, cattle or bison that are over the age of 18 months and are sexually intact, or cattle and bison in rodeos, exhibitions or stock shows across state lines should contact their State Veterinarian’s office for free EID tags from APHIS to comply with the new rule going into effect on November 5th. For more information, please visit the APHIS Fact Sheet, or the official rule here.