In an important move for independent ranchers, today U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced legislation (S. 4282) aimed at preventing the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) from implementing mandatory electronic identification on livestock that moves in interstate commerce. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) has followed this issue and has been supporting efforts to get the USDA rule changed.
in January 2023, APHIS proposed a rule that would require Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or electronic animal ID tags on any cattle and bison moving in interstate commerce (across state lines) in addition to visual identification. In late April 2024, USDA finalized the rule that would make RFID tags mandatory for cattle and bison being transported across state lines.
In a news release by Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) today, Sen. says, “South Dakota cattle producers don’t need D.C. bureaucrats telling them how to manage and track their livestock. USDA’s proposed RFID mandate is federal government overreach, plain and simple. I’m pleased to be introducing this legislation to block the Secretary of Agriculture from mandating the use of electronic tags in cattle and bison herds. If farmers and ranchers want to use electronic tags, they can do so voluntarily.”
“The mandatory USDA rule benefits large meatpackers by allowing them to structure their operations to avoid the requirement through group identification, while the rule adds significant cost, burden, and risk for America’s independent ranchers and farmers, tthere is no evidence that RFID tags are needed for disease traceability. Rather than support a resilient food system, the rule disproportionately harms small and mid-sized producers,” said Alexia Kulwiec, Executive Director of FTCLDF.
Please click here for the most recent FTCLDF Action Alert to request for U.S. Senators in your state to sign onto Sen. Rounds’ Bill.
For further background on RFID, click here.
Media Contact:
Alexia Kulwiec
Executive Director, FTCLDF
[email protected]