USDA cancels another plan to track cattle with RFID devices

Department of Agriculture officials revoked a plan to replace visual tags with radio-frequency tracking for cattle moving interstate. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials announced in April that cattle and bison would need radio-frequency tracking tags to cross state lines by January 2023, with some exceptions. In October 2019, however, agency officials said they were revisiting those guidelines in light of livestock industry members’ comments. The U.S. still needs robust abilities to track animals during disease outbreaks and meet expectations of domestic and foreign buyers, and APHIS will provide financial incentives to encourage use of radio-frequency identification devices, October’s announcement states. But agency officials will study the issue before deciding whether to add any requirements.