USDA official ID to be RFID ear tag

“We have some of the very largest retailers telling fruit and vegetable growers all over the world that they want traceability in the system within the next 12 months. If they are successful in the produce industry in driving that forward, I think it’s very likely that the meat industry is the next place they’re going to look: to want and demand traceability for products that are going to move into their retail outlets.” That’s the sobering news that Gregory Ibach, USDA undersecretary of agriculture for marketing and regulatory programs, delivered at the recent annual meeting of the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA).