Animal Disease Traceability Rule Changes: What Producers Need to Know

Nov 27, 2024

November 5, 2024, marked the implementation date for the updated federal animal disease traceability regulations requiring electronic identification tags in certain classes of cattle and bison crossing state lines.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service implemented the new rule to better pinpoint and respond to animal disease outbreaks in hopes to limit both the spread of disease and the economic impacts of disease on livestock producers.

It is important for producers to know that the classes of cattle required to be identified have not changed. The rule applies to all dairy cattle, sexually intact beef cattle and bison over 18 months of age, and all exhibition and rodeo stock moving interstate. The rule does not apply to stocker or feeder cattle.

In accordance with the new rule, any animal tagged after Nov. 5 will need an 840 electronic identification tag. The ear tags must be visually and electronically readable for official use. Cattle already identified with a sliver Brite metal tag or orange bangs metal tag prior to Nov. 5 will not need to be retagged with an electronic tag.

Producers can obtain 840 EID tags through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The tags are free of charge, but the producer must cover the cost of shipping.

Other options to obtain 840 EID tags include:

Direct from the manufacturer (i.e. Allflex, DataMars and Y-Tex)
Your current vet supply distributor
Shearwell Data – Animal identification and management systems
All Data Tags

A premises ID is required to order 840 EID tags regardless of source. A PIN application is available on the Animal Industry State Veterinarian page.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.