U.S. Department of Agriculture signs RFID ear tag contract

According to news on August 19, US time, the USDA recently signed a contract to purchase as many as 8 million RFID ear tags. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the RFID tag helps improve the overall traceability of cattle and bison animal diseases. The contract allows APHIS to purchase additional tags each year for up to 5 years. U.S. Department of Agriculture's Undersecretary of Marketing and Regulatory Planning, Greg Ibach, said: "This will not only help offset the cost of using RFID tags, but it will also help us respond to potential disease events faster."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture believes that RFID equipment will provide the cattle and bison industries in various states to quickly curb the spread of diseases that may have a major economic impact. As part of an overall plan to improve the traceability of cattle and bison, APHIS distributed more than 1.1 million RFID tags to 38 states this spring, in the manner most suitable for veterinarians in each state.