USDA’s New Initiative: Free RFID Eartags for Swine—Fall 2025

In a move to bolster U.S. swine disease traceability, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has announced that starting in fall 2025, sow and exhibition swine producers will be eligible to receive free RFID eartags. 

While electronic identification doesn’t stop disease from spreading, it significantly speeds up response times during a disease investigation—reducing the scope of outbreaks and the associated economic losses for producers and communities alike.  

Starting fall 2025, eligible swine producers and state officials will be able to order free RFID eartags—a key step toward enhancing the nationwide disease traceability system for the U.S. swine industry. 

With streamlined direct ordering, generous tag allocations tied to operation size, and user-friendly access via Merck, this program is poised to boost both efficiency and biosecurity across the sector.