New USDA Rule Burdens U.S. Beef Farmers

USDA EID Mandate Sparks Cattle Industry Backlash

For decades, the U.S. has successfully prevented and eradicated foreign animal diseases in its cattle herd through strong collaboration between the USDA and American cattle producers. However, concerns are rising over the USDA’s recent move to mandate electronic identification (EID) eartags for cattle.

Nearly 20 years ago, the USDA attempted to require cattle producers to register their premises and track cattle movements using EID tags in a federal database.

This plan, resembling systems in countries like Australia and the UK, was met with strong opposition from American producers who valued their individual freedoms and property rights. The USDA eventually withdrew the proposal.

A decade later, the USDA introduced a “flexible solution,” allowing producers to choose between low-cost visual ID tags and high-cost EIDs. This system proved effective, enabling states to trace animals across state lines in under an hour.

Despite this success, on April 26, 2024, the USDA finalized a rule mandating EID use, eliminating the flexibility it once promised.

The rule aims to reduce transcription errors but does not address issues with paper-based documentation, which remains a critical part of disease traceability.

The USDA admits the rule won’t increase the number of cattle subject to official ID requirements. Instead, the driving force behind the mandate is to support beef exports, which accounted for just 11% of U.S. beef production in 2023.

This means all 622,000 U.S. beef producers must bear the cost—estimated in the tens of millions annually—for the benefit of a small segment of exporters.

Critics argue the rule benefits multinational eartag manufacturers and beef packers while placing an unfair burden on domestic producers. With no significant improvement in traceability and no relief from paperwork inefficiencies, the mandate is seen as arbitrary and excessive.

Congress is being urged to intervene and protect U.S. cattle producers from what many see as federal overreach that undermines the freedoms and economic viability of American agriculture.